The Wedding of Clara Oswald
by Yatzstar
Summary: Clara and the Master are getting married! But, things go wrong when the Zygons come to visit. (Clara/Master) Events will coincide with the Day of the Doctor. Sequel to A Few Hours. Rated T for violence and possible mild suggestiveness.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, it's that sequel! If you haven't read the previous story entitled: A Few Hours, I suggest you do so before you read this, or you will be majorly confused. This fic ships Master/Clara aka Osdrums. Don't like don't read.

* * *

Clara Oswald walked over to her phone as it blared loudly.

"Hello?"

"Get ready because we're going to take you shopping for something pretty to wear tonight!" The voice on the other end said gleefully.

Clara sighed, moving a strand of her brown hair out of her face. "I just got home from work, and I'm tired. Besides, I know I'm going on a date already, and what's wrong with the things I've worn in the past that I already own? And who's 'we'?"

"Well, I'm bringing mom..."

"Oh no."

"…and tonight is going to be very special."

"Why?"

"Spoilers."

"Come on!" Clara complained. "That's all you ever tell me!"

"Well, I'm sorry! But I promised that I wouldn't spoil anything else about the future! So what do you expect of me?"

"Okay. Fine. How are you getting here?"

"We took the TARDIS."

"Where are the boys?"

"We dumped them in Hyde Park, with much protest, I might add. It'll be good for them to catch up on… whatever Time Lords catch up on. To be frank, I have no idea. But they're stuck there until we get back."

"When will you get here?"

"Now!"

Clara turned as there was a knock on her door. Sighing, she set down the phone and walked to it. Flinging it open, she found River Son and the Woman standing in her doorway. "You two are unbelievable."

River smiled. "Aren't we?"

She sighed. "Well I still need to clean myself up before—"

River grabbed her arm. "Never mind that. We have clothes to buy!"

Before Clara could protest, she was pulled out the door.

* * *

"Insufferable earthling spawn." The Master muttered, scowling.

The Master and the Doctor sat on a bench in Hyde Park, close to a playground that was filled with children playing happily in the warm afternoon weather.

The Master was dressed in a white button-up shirt with a tie hanging loosely about his neck His blond, almost white hair stuck up every which way, as if he had tried and failed to style it. His hazel eyes darted over the scenery.

The Doctor, who was dressed in his normal attire, sat on the opposite end of the bench, absentmindedly fiddling with his sonic screwdriver. "Now I know you don't like humans, but the children are wonderful. The infinite possibilities of a human child's mind is remarkable."

The Master winced at a particularly loud shriek. "Why would you ever like something like that?"

"Have you ever met one?"

"No, and I don't plan on it."

"I'll have to introduce you to a friend of mine. Stormaggeadon, Dark Lord of All. Nice chap."

"They're so helpless." The Master griped as he watched a toddler barely able to walk toddle to its mother.

"They're no different than Time Lord children."

"They're more annoying."

"That's what you think." The Doctor shook his sonic at him. "You and Clara might have some one day once you get married."

He recoiled. "Why would I want to take care of one of those… things?"

"Because they're enjoyable. You just don't know it yet."

He sighed. "At least they make the drums quieter." He went silent for a moment, and then asked: "What is it with the rings? What's the point?"

"It's just human tradition." The Doctor said. "They do it to show… status, I guess. So some other man or woman won't try to… you know."

"Better not." The Master growled. "Doctor, is it normal to be nervous?"

The Doctor gave him a serious look. "No." He couldn't help but crack a smile as he saw the Master's eyes widen slightly. "I'm kidding. Yes, it's perfectly fine to be nervous. It's human. I'm proud of you."

"Shut up." The Master leaned back. "I can't believe your wife! She barges into your TARDIS with your mother and kicks us out because she has to go shopping!"

"I think she knew your intentions tonight, and went to get Clara some clothes or something like that."

"Oh." He muttered.

"Besides, that's what you get for leaving your TARDIS on Gallifrey."

"I didn't like that thing anyway. And I left my coat on board too! They had better not find that thing, or I will…"

"Don't worry. I hid it before they kicked us out."

"Good, or I would have destroyed something."

"You always say that."

"I mean it."

"Uh-huh. You sound so convincing. Admit it. Clara's found her way into those supposedly emotionless hearts of yours, you big old softie."

The Master opened his mouth to deliver a stinging retort, but was interrupted as something bumped his foot. He looked down and saw a red ball lying in the grass next to his feet. Looking up, he saw a little girl slowly walking towards them.

"What do I do?" He gritted at the Doctor.

The Time Lord gestured. "Just give it to her! Nothing bad will happen."

He picked up the ball and held it out to the girl, who had moved within reaching distance. "Here." He mumbled.

She took the ball, grinning widely at him. "Thank you!" She paused, making as if to go, but then asked: "Why does your hair look so funny?"

The Master glanced at the Doctor, who had turned away from them, but he could see his shoulders shaking with the laughter he was trying to hold in. "Well," He said. "A couple of my friends showed up and decided to mess up my day, which is why this happened." He pointed to his messy array of hair.

"Oh." The girl cocked her head. "Well tell them that wasn't a nice thing to do."

The Master cracked a small smile. "Believe me, I will."

"Bye!" The girl ran off back towards the playground.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" The Doctor turned back to face him.

"I guess not." He muttered. "Though she should be careful when commenting on other people's appearances."

"Oh, you can't blame them. They're curious about the world around them, and at that point in their life they don't know what is typically considered rude."

The Master watched as the girl kicked the ball to one of her friends. "That sounds quite a lot like you."

"Hey!"


	2. Chapter 2

"So where are you taking me?" Clara asked as they entered the TARDIS.

"Anywhere you want." River said, leaning against the console.

"Well you already know what I'm going to wear, so why not just pull it out of the TARDIS wardrobe?"

She smiled. "I want you to figure it out for yourself."

"Okay…" Clara went silent for a moment, thinking. Then, she smiled. "I know! There's this little boutique in the West End that I've always wanted to go to, but I never got the chance. They have the most beautiful dresses in the window."

River flipped a switch and the TARDIS started groaning. "That's our destination then!"

She cocked her head. "Do you think the Doctor and the Master will get along okay while we're gone?"

"They'd better." The Woman said. "Or I'll have words with them."

Clara laughed. "I think you're the only person the Doctor is truly afraid of."

She smiled. "Oh, Koschei should be scared of me to. I often ended up settling scores with the both of them."

Clara laughed even harder at the thought of the Master as a child getting chased by the Woman. "Well that's good!"

River stepped forward as the TARDIS landed. "We're here!"

She made to open the door, but Clara grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Hey River, is it tonight?"

"Now you know I can't tell you that."

Clara groaned in frustration. For a long time she had known that the Master, her current boyfriend, intended to marry her at some point, but River had never told her when. It had been over a year since she had learned of this, and she greeted each day with anticipation of what could possibly come.

"Do you know?" She asked the Woman.

"No. I stay out of people's time streams." She stared pointedly at River.

The blond smiled. "Oh, I can't deny myself a little fun. Now come on, let's get that dress."

* * *

The Master stood up as the grinding noise of the TARDIS sounded and the box materialized into view. "Finally! Honestly, how long does it take for females to pick out some clothes?"

"They can be quite picky." The Doctor stated as he trailed behind him.

He flung open the doors, stepping inside. "Okay, now it's time for you three to get out!"

River turned to face him, hands on her hips indignantly. "What?"

"We can drop you off wherever you want. Besides, don't you females take several hours to prepare?" He smirked.

"We take a long time?" River stared at him. "You're going take a long time! Have you looked at yourself lately?"

"Well you-"

"Can you two just agree on something?" The Woman intervened.

Clara couldn't help but laugh at the Master. He made a sight with his crazy hair sticking up everywhere, his tie hanging about his neck loosely, and his wrinkled shirt clinging to his substantial frame. His eyes held a look of indignation as he stared at River. The Doctor leaned against the doorframe, not paying attention as he fiddled with his screwdriver.

"Fine." River said. "Take us to Clara's flat."

"Glad you two reached an agreement." The Doctor said, stepping forward and flipping the switch. "To Clara's house we go!"

* * *

A couple sat on a bench a substantial distance away from the TARDIS as they watched it disappear.

The woman cocked her head. "It is the Doctor. Should we go for him directly?"

"No." The male said. "We need to deceive him to get close enough without him suspecting us. The other Time Lord seems like a good prospect."

"The male?"

"Yes."

"Agreed." She smiled. "This will be fun."

* * *

The Woman exited the TARDIS, carrying the bag with Clara's dress. "Come on! We haven't got all day!"

As Clara made to leave, the Master cupped her face, pecking her on the forehead. "Have fun. See you later."

She smiled up at him. "You too, my mad Time Lord."

The Doctor grabbed River's arm gently, whispering in her ear. "Where's the jacket?"

"Under the console."

"Thanks."

"Is he…" She paused. "Is he nervous?"

The Doctor locked eyes with her. "Yes."

She patted his cheek. "He should be."

* * *

"Ow!" Clara grimaced.

"Hold still!" The Woman reprimanded as she worked with Clara's hair.

"It hurts!"

"But it'll look good in the end."

Clara was now dressed in the garment she had picked out at the store. It was a crème colored dress that pooled about her feet. The bodice was patterned with intricate lace designs, but was plain from the waist downward. River had convinced her to not wear heels, but just to wear flats, but they matched just the same.

Her flat had sort of become a headquarters for the group. It was River who hung around mostly when she wasn't being an archeologist. The Woman came by sometimes. Clara had no idea where she came from. The Doctor never came around without the Master, if at all. He wasn't keen on leaving the Master alone with his TARDIS, as much as it annoyed him. Whenever the Master came, he would always whisk her away on some adventure. He would sometimes come in the middle of the night, and she would yell at him, he would leave, and show up the next day and drag her away. She had become used to people walking in and out of her flat.

"There." The Woman put her finishing touches on Clara's hair.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had been braided and curled up into a bun. "It's so pretty."

The Woman smiled. "What did I tell you?"

River looked up from the magazine she was reading. "The Master isn't going to know what hit him. You look lovely."

Clara turned in a circle, admiring herself in the mirror. "I must say, you two certainly know how to make a girl look nice."

The Woman peered at the clock, which read 7:00 PM. "How long do they need? It's been two hours."

"I don't know." River flipped the page in her magazine. "The Master looked pretty bad."

Clara giggled. "What was he doing? It looked like he had been chased by Daleks."

"And to think, I left him in the middle of Hyde Park looking like that."

"Oh." Clara sighed. "River…"

She was interrupted as the TARDIS began to appear in her living room. As soon as the ship had materialized fully, the doors opened and the Doctor flew out as if he had been pushed, landing on the couch next to River.

The Master stepped out, holding his hand out to Clara. "Ready to go, Miss Oswald?"


	3. Chapter 3

Clara accepted his hand. "Sure."

The Master looked far better than he had earlier. He was still wearing the same shirt, tie and pants as he had earlier, but they were actually straight now. His hair was combed now, and he had put on a grey overcoat.

"Take care of her!" The Doctor called after them. "And I don't mean the TARDIS!" He sighed as he watched the box disappear.

"You seem nervous too." River commented.

"Well, it's hard to give up your best friend to another sort-of friend who's still a bit mad." He rubbed his forehead. "I just hope he treats her right. You weren't there the last time he…" He fell silent for a moment. "He killed her."

"I think he's changed." The Woman said, taking a seat in an armchair on the other side of the room. "He really does care about her. And he's not as hostile towards you as he used to be, either. Probably because of Clara."

"I guess I should learn to trust your judgment." The Time Lord murmured. "I still feel like something's going to go wrong."

"You always think that."

"After all," River smirked. "It's always the big, scary men who fall in love with the tiny women, and they bring them to their knees."

The Doctor looked at her, mischief glinting in his eyes. "But you're not tiny."

She smacked him. "That's not funny."

* * *

The Master had taken Clara to some far off planet. They had landed on a beach that dazzled like diamonds, with a million little pinpoints of light. The water was turquoise, tinted with orange as the sun set beyond the water. The sky was hued many shades of pink, purple and orange in the sunset, adding to the beauty.

Now, they walked along the beach in silence. The Master appeared to be deep in thought, while Clara was openmouthed in awe at the wonderful sights before them

She was glad that River had the knowledge of the future and didn't allow her to wear heels. Despite that sand looking like a million little diamonds, it still retained the texture of that on earth, so walking would have been extremely difficult for her.

She looked over at the Master, and caught him staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing." He said. "You just look pretty, as always."

She smiled. "Thank you."

The Master stopped walking and turned to face her, taking her hands in his. "Clara, I don't know if you know this, but you saved me from the drums."

Clara's heart fluttered with nervousness and anticipation.

He closed his eyes. "And, I know when I first met you, I kidnapped you and put you through some of the most horrible things. You know as well as I do that I can be mean, and a jerk, and scary, and… insane." He sighed shakily. "But you made my life better, and I can't imagine a day without you."

A tear slid down Clara's cheek.

He opened his eyes, looking her straight in the eye. "Basically, what I'm saying is, would you let me take care of you for the rest of your life, however dangerous it may be?"

Clara nodded, throwing her arms about his neck. "Yes!"

The Master laughed, picking her up and spinning her around, kissing her.

When they pulled apart, he cocked his head. "You're crying."

"Yeah." She sniffed, wiping away a tear. "Girls cry when they're really happy."

"That's stupid." Even though he said that, he was smiling like a child who didn't have a care in the world. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said through her tears.

"Oh, and there were these." He pulled a tiny black box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal two golden rings.

"I forgot about that!" Clara laughed.

* * *

Everybody had fallen asleep except for River. She eagerly awaited the return of the couple. The Doctor lay on the couch next to her, long arms and legs splayed out in many different directions as he dozed. The Woman had fallen asleep in the armchair, resting comfortably.

The room was dark, except for the small lamp that River had turned on so she could read. She looked up, smiling as the grinding noise filled the room.

The Doctor leapt to his feet in a daze. "Wha…?"

Clara stepped out of the TARDIS, grinning at River. "You are the worst."

She stood up. "Aren't I just?" They embraced.

The Woman stood up stiffly. "I am to assume it went well?"

"Yes! Look!" She held out her hand for the Time Lady to see. "He was so nervous, he choked." The three women laughed.

"Choked, eh?" The Doctor came up beside the Master.

"That might be an overstatement." He muttered.

He clapped him on the back. "Well, I'm happy for you. At least you get to be engaged. I was only engaged for ten seconds."

"I'm not even going to ask."

Clara looked at the clock. "Eleven? No wonder I'm so tired."

"Well I guess we're staying the night here then." River said. "If you don't mind, that is."

She shook her head, and then looked at the Master. "I have an extra bedroom if you-."

"No, I'm not tired. I'll stay in the TARDIS." He grinned. "Good night, my soon to be wife."

"Good night to you too."

* * *

The Master sat on a bench in a park not far from Clara's apartment complex. He had snuck out after he had made sure everyone was asleep, needing some time to be alone.

He stared down at the golden band on his finger, which was faintly illuminated by the moonlight. He wasn't sure what he had just done. He had pledged his life to protecting that one little human girl. It was dangerous, but he loved her too much not to.

Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up, and found himself looking at… himself.

"I'm going to need that ring."

* * *

The next morning, Clara, River, and the Woman went out to a little café nearby to discuss wedding plans. The Doctor had gone to the TARDIS, and the Master was nowhere to be seen. Clara figured he would turn up eventually. He always did.

"So," She said, setting down her cup of tea. "I assume you two can tell me what it's like to be married to a Time Lord?"

"Well," The Woman said. "There will be some days where you just want to throw them into a supernova."

Clara frowned. "That's not good."

River smiled fondly. "But then there will be some days, where you have had the worst day ever, and you come home to find him in your kitchen, failing miserably at cooking for you, but it means the world to you anyway, and he will make you feel like the only person in the world."

Clara giggled. "That sounds about right." She rested her chin in the palm of hand. "But what if I'm not good enough? I'm just a small human, and he's a thousand year old alien. What could be so important to him about me?"

"Humans are fascinating to us." The Woman said. "He finds something particularly interesting about you, and he loves you."

She sighed. "But what if I'm not ready?"

River shook her head. "Everyone thinks that, even him, no doubt. But not to worry, you're ready."

At that moment, a pair of hands came down on her shoulders.

"Hello ladies."


	4. Chapter 4

_A few hours prior…_

The Master awoke slowly. What had happened? He groaned and shook his head, attempting to clear it. He tried to move his arms and legs, but found that he couldn't.

He opened his eyes. He was somewhat spread-eagled on a wall, held there by some pink sticky-looking substance, which seemed to encase his entire body, aside from his head. He was hanging in a cage that had bars on three sides, and on the other side, a duplicate of him stood, smirking.

"Who are you?" The Master asked.

"I'm you." The duplicate said.

"What are you?"

"Zygon."

"What do you want with me?" The Master asked as he tugged at the mass that bound him, but to no avail.

The duplicate cocked his head. "We are planning an invasion on earth, and the only man that can stop us is the Doctor. We need to kill him before we can put our plans into action, and the best way to get to him is to deceive him. And who would be closer to him than another Time Lord?"

"Not me." The Master muttered.

The Zygon closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. "So many memories inside this Time Lord head of yours. So much information on the Doctor." He opened his eyes again, grinning. "Oh, and you're getting married soon! What great timing for me! I must admit that for a human, she is quite something. An added bonus."

The Master strained against his bonds, growling with rage. "If you lay one finger on her, I swear that I will destroy you!"

The duplicate gave him a mock frown. "I'm sorry, but it seems we have quelled the fury of the Time Lord for now. It seems you are incapable of destroying me."

"You're already dead."

* * *

Clara twisted her neck around. The Master had come up behind her.

"Hey you." She said. "Where did you go?"

"Out." He stated simply.

"Okay then."

"Where's the Doctor?"

Clara shrugged. "I suppose he's in the TARDIS up in my flat like he was."

"What was your flat number again?"

She laughed, looking up at him. "What's the matter with you? You forgot my flat number?"

"Can you just remind me?"

"4C." She turned back to her companions as he walked off, frowning. "That was strange. He doesn't forget things like that."

River shrugged. "He's probably not thinking straight, but then again, why should he be? He is getting married, after all."

Clara sighed, smiling. "I still can't believe it. But I have to remind myself that he's not human, which many change some things."

"It wouldn't." The Woman said. "He would act just like a normal arrogant earth boy."

"How old is he, anyway?"

"I'd say about 905… ish."

"Oh." Clara sat back. "There's a definite age difference there."

The Woman chuckled. "But in your earth terms, he would be about thirty. A mere youngling, if you will."

"Well that's better." She looked at River. "And two hearts is it, right? There's nothing else that I should know about?"

River held up her hands. "That's it, thank goodness."

* * *

The Doctor looked up as the TARDIS door squeaked. "Well, welcome back. Did you need a little time to think about it?"

The Master leaned against the console. "You could say that."

The Doctor smiled. "I swear, I've never seen you so happy as you were last night. She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

The blond grinned. "She does."

"At least I have assurance it won't turn out like it did with Lucy."

"Shut up. Besides, I didn't really love her, and you know that." He sighed. "It was a year that never was, so it doesn't really count anyway."

"Let's hope it doesn't."

He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up. "Well, I'm going to get out of these clothes, and maybe sleep for a bit."

"Take your time!" The Doctor called after him as he left. There seemed to be something just a little bit off about him, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He had noticed that he wasn't tapping the drums like he usually did, but maybe he just wasn't thinking about it.

The Time Lord shook his head. What was he thinking? He was just paranoid. He had learned to always doubt, just a little. Just to make sure that things were what they seemed, because most of the time, they weren't. Especially when it came to the Master.

Nothing could go wrong, could it?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Events will start to coincide with the Day of the Doctor! And for the sake of me forgetting, Clara's father will not exist in this story. xD**

* * *

Clara was awoken in the morning by a crash. She jumped out of bed, threw a robe on, and flew out the door. She sighed in frustration at the sight that greeted her.

The Doctor was in her kitchen, bending down to pick up a couple of pans while the Woman stood over him, scolding him. River sat at the kitchen table, reading through a TARDIS themed diary, occasionally glancing in amusement at the couple in the kitchen. The Master was sprawled out on the couch, watching the Teletubbies, not paying the least attention to the drama behind him.

"Did I wake you?" The Doctor asked sheepishly as he noticed her.

"No, you didn't." She stated sarcastically. "I decided to get up this early because I wanted to."

"Oh, good!"

She sighed at his naïvetés. "What are you doing?"

"Making breakfast!" He said joyfully as he set the offending pans on the stove.

The Woman caught Clara's eye and shook her head. "He thinks he's good at cooking."

"Hey!" The Doctor said indignantly as he opened the fridge. "I happen to be excellent at cooking in this body! Besides, you haven't seen me for a few hundred years anyway." He pulled out a jar of pickles. "This looks nice."

Clara flopped down in a chair next to River. "I guess there's no point in going to sleep. I have an hour to kill."

"Why? What happens in an hour?" The Doctor asked.

"I have to go to work."

He made a face. "Oh, that's boring. Why didn't you go yesterday?"

"I took the day off."

"Well take another one off!"

"I can't do that! Just because I have aliens in my house and I'm getting married doesn't mean that I can quit my job."

"Fine…" He grumbled.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "How early do you people get up? It's 6:45!"

"Remember that time Lords don't sleep nearly as much as humans do." River said. "None of them slept last night. They just stayed in the TARDIS so they wouldn't be too noisy. I also prefer a few hours of sleep, but sometimes it can be hard." As she finished her sentence, she cast a glance in the Doctor's direction, who was making a racket with the kitchenware.

"I'll have to remember that."

"And to think, you'll be part of this family soon."

"Oi!" The Master's indignant exclamation rang out behind them. "I am not part of the Doctor's family, so you can forget that statement."

"Once I called you brother." The Doctor said, brandishing a spoon. "And I still do, so it counts!

* * *

After a rather surprisingly good breakfast of bacon and eggs, after the Doctor had been convinced to not use the pickles, Clara was ready to go.

"Do you have to go?" The Doctor whined. "UNIT invited me to go visit an art gallery called the Undergallery. It would be great if you could come."

Clara grabbed her helmet. "No, for the last time. As fun as that sounds, there are kids out there that need to learn English." She eyed the Woman and River. "Don't let them destroy the house while I'm gone, okay?"

"Got it."

The Master pecked her on the lips. "Have a nice day."

Once she had left, the Doctor turned to face them, straightening his bowtie. "If I'm going to the Undergallery, there's one more thing I need."

River closed her eyes. "Please say it's not…"

He ran into the TARDIS and came back out holding a red hat, donning it and throwing his arms out. "A fez! How do I look?"

"You look like an idiot." The Master growled.

River covered her eyes in despair.

The Woman stared in confusion at the object. "What… is that?"

"It's a fez, mom. Fezzes are cool."

"…stupid." River muttered.

All of a sudden, a white vortex opened up in the middle of the air above them.

"Doctor, what's that?" River asked, backing away from the strange force.

"Oh, not now! I'm busy!" He yelled at it. He grabbed his fez off of his head, staring at it. "Ah, of course, I remember. I almost remember. This is where I come in."

"What's going on?" River pressed.

Without answering her question, the Doctor threw his fez with all his might into the vortex and then ran after it, disappearing with a wild yell of: "Geronimo!"

* * *

There seemed to be no escape for the Master.

He had tried everything from simply attempting to pull away to trying to get free with his powers, but nothing worked. He seemed to be trapped with no escape.

Now, he had hung his head in despair. He shut his eyes, regretting letting his mind wander to the horrible things that could befall Clara with the Zygon… The very notions filled him with fury, but there was no chance of escape.

All he could do was wait.

* * *

Clara slammed the door, throwing her keys on the counter. She looked around flat, feeling that something was missing. Then she realized.

Noise.

Her flat was empty. No one seemed to be around. She frowned. That was odd. The TARDIS was still sitting there, but there was no sign of anyone.

Oh well. They would turn up. She went to the counter and started going through her mail, not noticing as a figure came up behind her.

"Boo."

She jumped, scattering papers everywhere. She turned to find herself staring at that familiar cheeky smirk.

"Oh." She breathed. "It's only you. You scared the life out of me!"

"That was the plan." He grinned, taking her hand and leading her to the couch, letting her sit down. "How was your day?"

She leaned back. "Oh, kids are kids."

He snorted. "That's why I don't like them."

She looked around the empty house. "Hey, where did everyone else go?"

"The Doctor jumped through a portal and the Woman followed him, while River went to the Undergallery."

She frowned. "Okay then."

"He said they would be back around this time."

"I'm not even going to ask." She paused. "In this little moment of peace, we should start considering wedding plans." She sat forward. "When do you want to get married?"

He smiled. "As soon as possible. How fast do you think you can make it happen?"

She went silent for a moment. "I guess a week at the quickest, given the invitations, and the dress, and the planning…"

He raised his hands. "I'll leave all of that to you.

She smiled. "Fine with me."

He leaned down, kissing her.

To her, it felt different. It was rougher than how he had kissed her previously. He had been so gentle, but now it felt much more forceful.

She broke away, pushing him back as he started to lean her back on the couch. "Woah. What's up with you? You've never been like that before."

Before he could answer, the door banged opened and the Doctor walked in, accompanied by the Woman, River, and two other men.

"Clara," He grinned. "I would like you to meet my friends. This is the Doctor."


	6. Chapter 6

"But you're the Doctor." Clara said as she stood up, eyeing the two men that accompanied him One was a tall, lanky man with wild brown hair and a trench coat, and the other was an older, white haired man.

"I am the Doctor." He smiled. "These are two of my past selves. This is my tenth self." He pointed to the brown haired man. "And this is my… war… self." He pointed to the older man.

"But shouldn't that be impossible?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, apparently not."

"Who is that young lady?" The older man rasped.

"This is one of your future companions." He gestured to Clara proudly. "Meet Clara Oswald, the girl who was meant to save us."

"You have interesting taste."

The Tenth stepped forward, taking Clara's hand in his and raising it to his lips. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Miss Oswald. I look forward to-"

The Doctor stepped forward, stretching his hand forward. "Ah, I wouldn't…"

The Master jumped up, grabbing Clara by the shoulders and pulling her away from the offending Time Lord. "Back off! She's mine!"

The Tenth stared at him in astonishment. "Master? You're dead! And what happened to your hair? It looks like someone threw a bucket of bleach on it…"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his head. "He comes back, eventually."

The War Doctor stepped forward. "That's the Master?"

He smirked. "Yes, old man."

"You got younger."

"And what do you mean 'she's yours'?" Ten looked from Clara to the Master.

"Well…" The Doctor gestured emphatically. "They're engaged…"

"Engaged?" He exclaimed, incredulous, looking at his older self. "Well how did that happen? You know as well as I do that the last wife—"

"Well, it's different. You'll understand sooner or later."

"Doctor, what's going on?" Clara demanded, looking from one Doctor to the other. "How are there three of you?"

"Well, it all started right after you left…"

* * *

"Doctor!" River yelled after him into the white vortex. She started forward, getting ready to pursue him, but the Master placed a hand on her arm, pulling her back.

"Don't." He said. "Wait and see what happens."

After a moment, his voice rang through the portal. "I'm okay!"

"Where are you?" The Woman called.

"Um… I'm in the past!"

The Doctor was standing in the middle of the woods with his past self, the tenth incarnation, who had donned the fez in a moment of shock. Behind them stood two women who functioned exactly the same in appearance and personality.

"Who are you talking to?" He asked.

"The future." He shut his eyes, clapping his hands. "Ah, what next?" Then he stood up straight. "That's it!" He snatched the fez off of his younger self's head, calling to his friends. "I'm going to send the fez back through! Incoming!" He threw the fez back into the swirling light.

On the other side, River waited to catch the item, but it never came. "It's not here!"

The War Doctor picked up the strange item, dusting it off. "What on earth?"

"Okay, we'll reverse the polarity!"

"Who's we?"

"You're reversing the polarity and I'm reversing the polarity, so we're confusing it!" A new voice rang through.

The two Doctors and the two women stared at the man that had just appeared in front of them. He was older, and possessed white hair and a beard, and had weathered features.

"Did someone loose a fez?" He held the red hat forward.

"You." The Tenth said quietly. "How are you here?"

"Oh, hello." He said politely, placing his hands behind his back. "I'm looking for… the Doctor."

"Well, you found him."

His face slowly changed to one of realization. "Oh…"

"Doctor!" River's annoyed yell echoed. "What is going on?"

Before he could answer her question, horsemen came streaming out of the woods, surrounding them, threatening them with their weapons.

"Which one of you is the Doctor?" One asked. "The queen is bewitched! I will have your head!"

"Well, this is your lucky day." The War Doctor smiled.

River looked back at the other Time Lords. "I think there's three of them now."

The Master groaned. "Great. One was bad enough."

The soldier looked up at the swirling vortex. "What is that?"

"It's where the wicked witch of the well lives." He glanced at the portal. "Isn't that right, wicked witch?"

"What's he talking about?" River asked.

"He means you." The Master said.

She sighed. "I'll get him for that later." Then she raised her voice. "Uh… yes! Off you go… mortals! Or I'll turn you all into frogs!"

The soldiers screamed and retreated back into the woods, vanishing completely.

"Okay," The Doctor stepped forward. "Before we commence the introductions, I need to give instructions." He stood directly under the portal, yelling at it. "River, I need you to go to the Undergallery! Things will be explained there. Mom, I need you to jump through the portal. Master, you stay there and wait for Clara. We'll be back around four."

Ten frowned. "Mom?"

The Woman stepped forward. "You had better be waiting to catch me on the other side!" She stretched forth her hand and vanished.

River grabbed her jacket. "Bye!" And she was out the door.

The next thing the Doctor knew, he was catching his mother, who had come tumbling from the portal. "I've got you!"

"I say, who's that?" The War Doctor asked. "Is that one of your companions?"

"Companions?" The Doctor said in outrage as he steadied the Woman. "This is your… I mean our mother!"

"But that's impossible!" Ten said. "She's trapped on Gallifrey!"

"Not in the future."

The War Doctor stepped forward. "What…?" He stopped in his tracks as the other two Doctors pointed their screwdrivers at him.

"What's with the pointing? They're scientific instruments, not water pistols! You two look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh…" The Doctor lowered his screwdriver. "Sort of…" He turned to Ten. "So, this is me in the past! Never seen it from the outside before. I was so skinny!"

"Skinny?" The younger Doctor placed his hands on his hips, squaring up to his older self. "I'll have you know that I am perfectly well off!"

"Did this incarnation ever eat anything?" The Woman fussed.

"Hah, take that, matchstick man!" He pushed past Ten towards the two women, who were still standing there, taking an awkward bow. "Hello, ladies!"

"Oh, don't start!"

"I see you've been busy. What are you doing?"

"I'm hunting them. One of them is a Zygon." He whispered.

His older self grimaced. "Eh… I won't judge you."

Behind them, the portal closed.

"Okay." The Doctor turned back to face the women. "Your Majesties, now would be a good time to run."

"But what about the creature?" They said in unison.

"Okay, Elizabeth, whichever one is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction of the other." Ten commanded.

"Of course, my love." They said.

One stepped forward, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Stay alive, my love! I am not done with you yet!" Then, she kissed him with a passion, while his older self looked on in confusion. She broke away and ran off to the left.

"Thanks. Lovely." He said after her.

The other stepped forward. "I understand, my love! We shall meet again!" She kissed him with the same passion, and then ran off to the right.

The War Doctor leaned close to the original. "Does this happen a lot in the future?"

"Yes, it does begin to happen."

"Oi!" The Woman smacked his arm lightly. "How many times has this happened?"

"One, two, three, four…"

"That's all I needed to know."

"…five, six, seven…"

"Stop it!"

He stepped forward. "Okay, so that was a Zygon."

Ten nodded. "Yup."

"Big red thing covered in suckers."

"Yup."

"It was in the TARDIS?"

"Yeah, I'm getting the point." He changed the subject. "So, what happens next?"

He paused. "I don't remember."

Ten scowled at him. "Really? You don't remember this?"

"I forgot."

While they were arguing, the War Doctor and the Woman were having a conversation, ignoring them.

"So you're my mother from the future?" He asked.

"I am."

"You look so much older than when I saw you last."

"It has been several hundred years since you were around."

"I thought that you would be trapped in the Time War with the rest of Gallifrey when I used the Moment. How are you here?"

She smiled. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

They were interrupted as the original Doctor called to them. "We're going to go this way!" He pointed off in a random direction.

"Okay then."

Before they could go anyway, soldiers rushed from the trees, surrounding them again. The soldiers kneeled as the Queen walked forward.

"You're not kneeling." She smiled. "How brave of you."

"Oi, which one are you?" Ten asked. "What happened to the other one?"

"Indisposed. Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen!" The soldiers echoed.

"That's not the queen! That is an alien duplicate!" Ten shouted, pointing accusing finger at her.

"Yeah, believe me, you can take it from him." The Doctor said.

"Shut up!"

"Can you speak without flapping your arms about?" The War Doctor asked.

"Yes." He waved his hands. "No."

"Arrest them." Elizabeth said. "Take them to the tower."

"Ah, the tower! Brilliant!"

She glared at him. "Silence! The tower is not to be taken lightly!"

"Well, I demand to be incarcerated into the tower with my co-conspirators, Sandshoes, Grandpa, and Grandma!" He gestured to the Time Lords that accompanied him.

"Sandshoes?" Ten said in outrage.

"Grandma?"

"Guards, take them away!"

* * *

"In theory, I can trigger an isolated shift among the molecules." The War Doctor said as he finished sonicing the wooden door of the cell they had been thrown in. "I could disintegrate the door!"

"A sonic could take years." Ten said.

"A sonic would take centuries." He said, taking a seat on a stone outcrop. "Well, we should find something to past the timey-wimey."

The original Doctor paused briefly in his work of carving something into stone, but resumed quickly.

"What is it that makes you act like children?" He asked. "Why are you so afraid of acting like a grown-up?"

"It must be recent for him." Ten said.

"What is?"

"It's in the past for them." The Woman said. "The day you destroyed them all."

"The Time War." The original Doctor said. "The Last Day."

"The way you two look at me… I'm trying to think of a better word than dread."

_Ask them._ The Moment whispered

"Did you count them?"

The Doctor stopped carving. "Count what?"

"The children on Gallifrey that day."

"I have absolutely no idea."

"How old are you now?"

"I don't know. I've lost track. Nine-hundred and something. I might be lying. See, I'm at the point where I don't know if I'm lying about my age or not."

"Four-hundred years and you never once thought about it?"

The sharp edge of the rock sliced through the stone. "Tell me, what would be the point?"

"Two-point-four-seven billion." Ten said.

"You did count!" The War Doctor exclaimed.

"Four-hundred years? Is that all it takes?" Ten glared at his future self. "You've forgotten?"

"I've moved on."

"Where? Where can you possibly be that you would forget that day?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Tell me! For once, I would like to know where I'm going!"

He turned to face him. "No, you really wouldn't."

"Stop it." The Woman said. "Arguing is getting us nowhere."

"I haven't the faintest idea of who you two are." The War Doctor said, looking from one to the other.

_They are what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. The man who regrets, and the man who forgets._

"No," He said.

The Doctor looked at him. "No what?"

"Just no."

"Doctor." The Woman stood up.

"Yes?" All three looked at her.

"No, you." She pointed at the original Doctor. "It's the same screwdriver, right?"

He took it out. "Yeah, I guess. Same thing, different casing."

"So that means, if that," She pointed at the War Doctor. "Is you from the past, the calculation is still going on."

Ten took his sonic out, holding it up to his ear. "Calculation ongoing!"

"Four-hundred years!" The War Doctor smiled.

"Calculation complete!" the Doctor hugged the Woman. "Brilliant! Now, we can—"

He was interrupted as the door flew open.

"Hello, sweetie."


	7. Chapter 7

A**/N: Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was busy. :P Longer chapter can make up for it, hopefully. ^_^**

* * *

The Master jerked his head up as a piercing scream ripped through the stillness of his quiet prison.

He had hung there for what seemed ages, his body aching from the strain he had put on it while trying to get free. Looking around, he saw no source around him from which the bloodcurdling shriek could have originated. Was there a possibility that the Zygons had taken another captive?

He went limp again as he heard shuffling footsteps approaching, watching through half closed eyes.

Two shadows appeared in his line of vision beyond the bars of his cage. The footsteps became louder until the Zygons came into view. They were big and bulky, colored red and pink, covered in suckers all over their bodies. Their yellow eyes seemed to glow evilly in the dim light as they trundled past and on down the hallway.

The Master watched carefully as they moved along. They seemed to be carrying something in between them. Upon closer inspection, he saw, much to his astonishment, that it was the little girl from the park he had spoken to briefly. She looked limp, as if she was unconscious.

He had to remind himself to remain still until they passed. It was bad enough that there was a Zygon out there already taking his place, but now they were taking a little girl, who couldn't be more than five. She didn't deserve this. He had to know why.

A few minutes later, the Zygons came back the way that had come.

"Oi!" He called.

The monsters grunted, turning to face him.

"Why are you taking the girl?" He jerked his head in the direction that they had taken her.

"We need her." One spoke in a deep, gurgling whisper, baring its sharp, yellowed fangs as it spoke.

"Why?"

"We will invade earth." The other hissed. "But we need to kill the Doctor first. We will take the forms of the ones he trusts most."

"What has she done?" The Time Lord yelled, straining against the residue that bound him. "You can't take someone just because they spoke to me! She's just a child!" He blinked. Where had that come from? He sounded like the Doctor. That wasn't good.

The Zygon grinned evilly. "We just did." They turned and stomped away down the hall, their footsteps fading into the distance.

The Master leaned his head back, banging it against the metal wall he was attached to, the drums roaring in his ears. He felt so frustrated and helpless. First, Clara was going to get married to a duplicate of him who was capable of the most horrible things, and he had a feeling nobody suspected anything was wrong. How stupid could the Doctor be? Now, there was a small girl who was trapped and being used by the monsters simply because she had spoken with him. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt pretty bad.

He banged his head against the metal a few more times. Think.

* * *

River arrived at the National Gallery shortly after leaving Clara's flat. The halls were filled with all sorts of magnificent art pieces, but she paid no attention to them as she walked up to the double doors guarded by two men in black armor, holding guns.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but no one is permitted beyond this point without special permission" One said gruffly.

"Oh, I have permission." She smiled. "I am Professor River Song, wife of the Doctor."

The two men looked at each other. "One moment." They vanished behind the doors, only to return a few minutes later with a blonde haired woman and a mousy looking assistant wearing a long, colorful scarf.

"Professor River Song?" The blonde held forth her hand. "I am Kate Stewart. We have been looking for you."

"So I've heard."

* * *

She was quickly transported, along with Kate and her assistant, whose name was Osgood, to the Black Archives, otherwise known as the Tower of London.

"…The entire facility is TARDIS-proof." Kate stated as they walked through the metal hallways. "Can't have him getting in here, can we?"

"No. Of course not."

They walked through a door that Kate shut behind them, locking it with a key.

"Lock and key? Doesn't that seem a bit simple?" River queried.

"We have to keep the Doctor away." Kate said, chuckling at her small joke. "Except in this case when you bring him from the Tower of London." She walked up to a containment cubicle, peering inside. A vortex manipulator sat on a pedestal in the middle of the box, and in one corner was a pillar of stone with some carvings.

"A vortex manipulator?"

"Not just any vortex manipulator. It is Captain Jack Harkness', bestowed to us upon his death, or at least, one of them." She smiled. "The stone you see is engraved with a message for you, from the Doctor in the past."

River stepped into the box, approaching the pillar. Engraved into the stone roughly, the message read:

_River, use the vortex manipulator_

_Trapped in the 1500s_

_Coordinates are: __7775/349x10012/acorn_

She picked up the manipulator, placing it on her wrist.

"It should have enough charge for two trips." Kate said.

She smiled. "See you in a few." Suddenly, she found herself standing in a dank, dark roughly carved stone corridor, right in front of a wooden door. She pushed on it, and it swung open easily. "Hello sweetie."

The three Doctors stared at her in utter confusion.

She looked from one to the other. "Ooh, so there are three of you now! This should be interesting."

"How did you do that?" The Doctor asked, regarding her incredulously.

"The door was open." She placed her hands on her hips. "Three of you in one room, and none of you thought to just try the door?"

"Ah, four." He pointed at the Woman. "Don't forget mom."

The Woman raised her hands. "You leave me out of this! You're the one that always says you can fix things!"

"You!" Ten stepped forward, pointing at River, wide eyed. "You're the woman from the library! But…. But how? You were saved into the computer…. I…" He turned to the original Doctor. "Who is she?"

"She's a…" He gestured wildly, trying to think of a word that wouldn't give anything away. "She's a companion."

"They just get younger all the time." The War Doctor said.

River smiled. "I like that one!"

The Doctor sighed in defeat. "Just get us out of here. I assume someone from the National Gallery gave you that?"

"Yes. It was a woman by the name Kate Stewart."

"Oh. Good."

She raised the manipulator. "Hold on." In a flash, they were back in the cubicle, right next to Kate and Osgood.

Kate frowned at River. "I thought I sent you to get the Doctor alone."

"These are the same men. Plus one, of course."

"There's three of them!" Osgood squeaked in delight.

"I like your scarf." The War Doctor commented.

"But how is that possible?" Kate looked from one man to the other.

The Doctor scratched his head. "Uh… I can't really remember now…"

"Well, that's okay. Three of you might be actually be better in this case."

* * *

"The Undergallery is home to art deemed too dangerous for the public eye." Kate was explaining as they walked up to the double doors River had attempted to end earlier. "Oh, and I forgot to give you this." She pulled a sealed letter from her pocket and handed it to the Doctor. "This is from Queen Elizabeth the First."

The Doctor looked over the envelope. "Oh yeah. We just met her."

"Her credentials are inside."

He started to break the seal.

"No." She stopped him. "Inside." She nodded towards the doors, and they opened.

Inside, multiple pieces hung on the walls, but the most prominent was the large painting in the middle of the room, covered by a white sheet. Two guards jerked the sheet off, and the Doctors froze in their tracks.

"No More." The Doctor whispered.

"That's the title." Kate said.

"I know the title." The Doctor snapped. "But what is it doing here? It doesn't belong in this time or place."

"What is it?" River looked from the Doctors to the painting.

It depicted a city in flames, against a blood red sky covered with clouds, a sun barely peeking through the thick shroud of fog and destruction. Smoke was rising from a tall building in the middle as ships soared around, firing green bolts of energy at anything and everything. The smaller buildings below seemed to already be in ruins as the ships in the sky ravaged it. It looked so real that they could see small people in the painting, running through the rubble-filled streets, trying to escape seemingly imminent death.

"Also known as Gallifrey Falls." Kate said.

"The Fall of Arcadia." Ten almost whispered. "On the last day of the Time War. The day I did it, the day he did it." He glanced at the War Doctor. "The day I destroyed them all."

"How is it doing that?" River stepped forward, reaching out to touch the painting. It was like looking through a window that viewed a landscape. It was 3D.

"Time Lord art. It's a slice of frozen time, locked away."

The Doctor shut his eyes, trying to block out the horrible memories that were beginning to worm their way to the front of his mind. Daleks screeching their battle cry, rumbling through the streets, combatting the Time Lord soldiers. Children screamed as explosion ripped through the once peaceful streets, showering sharp fragments of rubble everywhere. Bullets flew in every direction as Time Lords ran, trying to protect the civilians as the Daleks drew closer. Dalek ships flew through the air, firing at the buildings, destroying them instantly. The air was chokingly thick with ash and smoke from the battle, making it almost impossible to breathe as innocent Time Lords ran for their lives.

He didn't realize he was quivering until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" River asked, concern in her eyes.

"Yeah." He lied. "I'm fine."

"I was there too." The Woman said. "I was in the Citadel when we learned that Arcadia had fallen. At that point, I knew we were lost."

"Just so you know," The War Doctor spoke up. "I haven't used the Moment yet."

Ten looked at the Doctor. "He hasn't done it yet! How could you forget that?"

"He is the one life I have tried very hard to forget." He turned away, opening the letter given to him to read.

_My Dear Doctor,_

_I hope the painting "Gallifrey Falls" is enough to convince you that this is in fact the real Elizabeth who writes to you now._

_I have appointed you Curator of the Undergallery, and you are to be summoned if any trouble should arise._

_God speed gentle husband,_

_Elizabeth_

River looked over his shoulder as he read it, crossing her arms and looking mildly jealous, but didn't say anything for the sake of his past selves.

The Doctor looked at Kate. "What's happened?"

"Come with me." She led them down another confusing set of hallways filled with strange paintings until they stopped in a particularly large room.

"Magnificent!" Ten breathed in awe.

The War Doctor snorted. "You think highly of yourself, don't you?"

The painting before them was so large that it took up the entirety of one wall. It depicted Queen Elizabeth the First dressed in the traditional garb of the time, alongside the tenth Doctor, who was also dressed in fifteenth century clothes.

"The clothes aren't very flattering, I must say." River said.

Ten made a face at her. "Well I like it."

"Of course you do." The Doctor sighed.

"This way." Kate walked to the left edge of the painting, tugging on the frame. The painting slowly came off the wall, opening like a door, revealing a smaller doorway. "We store most of the pieces here."

They walked into a dimly lit room full of figures covered with tarps and other paintings leaning against each other. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust, and it crunched as they walked over it.

"Thtone dutht." The Doctor lisped as he took a handful of the material and stuck his tongue out to taste it.

"What's with the tasting it?" The War Doctor asked in confusion.

The Woman looked down at her son. "I still don't know."

The Doctor stood up with a handful of the material, pointing at Osgood. "You! Are you science-y?"

She stepped forward, if a bit apprehensively. "Ah, yes. I am."

"You got a name?"

"Yes."

"Lovely. Always wanted to meet someone named 'Yes'." He dumped the material in her outstretched hands. "Be a dear and take this to be analyzed. Have a report on my desk early in the morning. Stat, pronto, LOL!"

"What are you blithering on about?" The War Doctor asked.

"Uh…" Osgood looked at Kate, unsure of what to do.

"Get a team and analyze the dust like he says."

"Yes ma'am." She wheezed.

"Inhaler!" She called as she led the Time Lords away. She stopped at a large metal door guarded by two soldiers. "Access."

"Yes ma'am." The soldiers stepped to the side as the large door moved upward, letting them pass.

"So what do we have here?" The Doctor surveyed the room as they entered.

The room was home to more 3D paintings, whose glass had been shattered, the shards littered all over the floor.

The Doctor and Ten picked up shards of glass. "It's been broken from the inside." They said in unison. "You can tell by the shatter pattern."

Kate handed the Woman an iPad. "This is what the paintings looked like beforehand."

She held up the iPad in front of a painting that depicted a simple desert scene, revealing that there had been a figure on the canvas some time before that. She lowered and raised the iPad a few more times. "Something has gotten out of the paintings."

"Lots of somethings." The War Doctor rasped, looking around the room at the rest of the art, all of whose glass had been broken as well.

"That's the thing." Kate shook her head. "Nothing has been changed and nothing unusual has happened. It's just this room."

The Doctor and Ten tossed away their pieces of glass. "Well, there's not much else we can do here until we get an analysis on that stone dust. Besides," The Doctor looked at his watch. "I promised a friend of mine that we would be back sometime around now. You know where to find us!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for no updates! Stuff happens. :P**

* * *

The Woman jumped slightly as a particularly loud shout rang from inside the TARDIS. She glared at the blue box. "I have half a mind to go in there myself."

"Don't bother." Clara muttered from her position on the couch, flipping through a bridal magazine. "They won't stop."

They sat in Clara's living room two hours after everybody had returned. After the Doctor's rather long-winded explanation about how he had come across two of his past selves, the Time Lords had gone into the TARDIS to discuss "timey-wimey" things as the Doctor had put it, to which the War Doctor had quickly reprimanded him. Now they were in the TARDIS, and by the sound of it were having a very heated argument, about what they could not hear.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Clara sat back on the couch. "I know he changes faces and personality, but how can all three of them be here at the same time?"

"I'm not sure." The Woman glanced at the TARDIS. "Our current Doctor seems to have forgotten how it all happened, or at least, he's not letting on that he knows a whole lot. I never met the War Doctor, and I only saw the Tenth at the Panopticon briefly before we were thrown back into the Time War, but he hasn't lived through that yet."

Clara looked thoughtful. "What if that happened with the Master? What if there were three of them?"

"Ooh." River grimaced. "It's probably not best to go there. From what I hear, he was cold and calculating before the Time War, a gentleman nonetheless, but it's probably not the best prospect. He hated the Doctor more than ever back then."

"I'm curious as to what he would look like."

"Well, there was this one version that was fried to crisp…"

She made a face. "Ew. Never mind."

"So," River sighed. "A wedding in a week, eh?"

"Yeah. That decision was made before three Doctors showed up and all this 'monsters breaking out of paintings' stuff happened. Now I'm not so sure we can do it. Can't there ever be a time when an important decision is made and monsters don't show up?"

"That's the price you pay with the Doctor." The Woman said. "It was like that back on Gallifrey too."

Clara looked over at her. "Do you think we could pull this off?"

Her eyes glittered. "No guarantees, but I think that we could probably do it, providing that my son, or should I say my sons, don't mess things up."

"Which they probably will, knowing them."

"So where do you want to hold the ceremony?" River asked. "I'm sure the Master won't care what you pick."

Clara thought for a moment. "I've always fancied St. John's. Small little place, nothing complicated really. The architecture is amazing…"

* * *

"Kate? Miss Stewart!" Osgood called out as she walked through the Undergallery.

She had been looking for her peer for some time now, with no luck. She clasped the reports for the dust in hand, starting to become very confused. She was nowhere to be seen!

Now, she walked through the dark, shadowy Undergallery, feeling quite nervous. Dark places had never been comforting for her. It seemed that every shadow was a monster waiting to pounce on her, and the statues covered with the voluminous white sheets didn't help. The only sound to be heard was her footsteps crunching on the dust, adding to the spooky atmosphere as it echoed through the rows of paintings.

The prospect of some sort of monster coming out of paintings frightened her to death. She watched the paintings warily as she passed by, half expecting some sort of monstrous hand to reach out of the canvas and grab her…

Suddenly, something tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled with a loud shriek.

"Woah!" A man stood in front of her, holding up his hands in confusion. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you so much!"

"Oh." Osgood took her inhaler out of her pocket, taking a suck before speaking properly. "McGillop, it's only you."

"What are you doing here?" He looked around the dark gallery. "It's a bit late, you know."

"I'm looking for Kate." She held up the reports. "I got the results back on the stone dust that the Doctor asked for and I went looking for her, but I can't find her anywhere."

He scratched his head. "Come to think of it, I haven't either."

"This was my last option, as you can see."

He pointed to the reports. "What do they say?"

She frowned at the papers. "I don't know. Haven't looked at them yet."

"Can I see?"

"Sure." She handed the reports to him.

He looked them over briefly, his brow furrowing into a frown. It says here that the dust came from the statues."

Osgood looked at him in confusion. "The statues?"

McGillop shuffled his feet in the dust. "That doesn't make any sense! If this dust is all from the statues, then how can they still be standing?"

She backed away from the suddenly very ominous-looking white sheets. "I… don't know."

"….because if those aren't statues…." He looked at her. "Then what are they?"

Suddenly, the sheets began moving and shifting. Osgood screamed and McGillop backed up with her, staring in horror as they moved.

The red sucker-covered body appeared, as did the yellowed fangs and eyes, with horrible hissing and gurgling accompanying their appearance as they came forth. Osgood screamed as the monsters closed in on them.

* * *

"I don't like it in here." Ten said, looking about the TARDIS. "Too dark."

"You never do!" The Doctor fussed at him, and then stroked the TARDIS console. "Don't worry. I still love you."

Ten scowled

"You talk to it?" The War Doctor asked in confusion. "When do I start talking to it?"

"Idiots." The Master growled.

Ten whirled on him. "Speak for yourself! You refused to regenerate and died in my arms! And yet somehow, you're here again!"

The Master smirked at him. "And I die again after all of that."

"Shut up!" The Doctor shouted. "That's further on in his timeline! He can't know about that!"

"You haven't changed at all." The War Doctor said, eyeing the renegade Time Lord. "You're still dumb enough to break the laws of time."

"…and what's this I hear about you marrying one of my future companions?" Ten was saying. "I would never allow you to do that!"

"Well you do in the future."

Ten looked at his future self. "Why would you let him do that?"

"Spoilers."

"Why can't you tell me anything?"

"You wouldn't want to know!"

Ten turned back to the Master, bringing his face close to his smirking enemies'. "All I know is that you had better be a _darn_ good husband, if I have anything to say on the matter. If I hear one thing about you-"

The Doctor cleared his throat nervously. "Ah, we've already sort of established this thing in the future, but in a less… intense… manner. Besides, we were trying to figure out how you two got here in the first place. It seems wrong, along with the paintings and the Zygons."

The War Doctor hesitated, and then said: "I think it would be best if we waited for the analysis on that stone dust you wanted."

The Doctor leaned against the console. "Yeah, that would be best."

Ten frowned at him. "Why did you want that anyway?"

"I want to see where it came from. It looks like it came from something that got smashed, though I can't be sure. Maybe the monsters came out of the statues too."

The War Doctor shuddered. "Hope not."

* * *

"…I could invite the Paternoster Gang." River was saying. "They're friends of mine."

Clara giggled. "They're funny." Then her phone rang. She sighed, getting up off the couch. "One moment."

River watched as she walked to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello? …Yes, he's here… They're here, yes… Really? You're sure you looked everywhere? Okay, I'll tell them." She walked to the TARDIS and opened the door, yelling inside: "Doctor! UNIT says that Kate Stewart is missing!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Rainbow dash: I know. I'm American, so don't rely on me to have acute knowledge on how that works. xD**

**Ms. Estella Black: Really? I didn't realize that Kate was her mom. I'll have to incorporate that later on. Thanks!**

**Reviews are useful. :3**

* * *

The Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS. "Really?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah. That was UNIT on the phone. They say they can't find her anywhere, and that the statues in the Undergallery have gone missing!"

"Weeping Angels?" The Woman asked.

"No, I don't think so." The Doctor said, straightening his bowtie. "We would have known if they were Weeping Angels. This is something else."

"Could it have to do with the paintings?" Clara asked.

"More than likely. We need to get over there quickly." He raised an eyebrow at the girls. "Want to come along?"

River sighed, glancing at the clock, which now read 6:30. "Sorry sweetie, but we were in the middle of something…"

"Oh, but Clara!" He whined at his companion. "You still haven't seen the Undergallery!"

"Stop complaining!" The Woman reprimanded him. "I think she prefers to stay away from the monsters in the first place."

Clara nodded. "She's got that right."

"Fine…" The Doctor grumbled, feeling put down.

River cocked her head, smiling at her husband. "Besides, you have You and Yourself to travel with, as well as the Master."

"Yes, but…" He leaned forward, whispering. "They're not always the best company!"

"I heard that!" Ten's indignant voice echoed from inside the blue box.

"Well, I'll be back…" He paused. "…sometime. Not sure! Bye." He slammed the TARDIS doors and the grinding started up, the box rapidly disappearing in a whirl of wind.

* * *

_Earlier…_

Osgood ducked and dodged as she ran through the dark halls of the Undergallery. She had at least three Zygons on her tail. Much to her horror, McGillop had already been accosted by the monsters, and she didn't know if he was still alive.

She had been running through the twisting, turning corridors of the Undergallery, the growling and gurgling of the monsters urging her forward, somehow managing not to trip over the large, colorful scarf that flew behind her as she ran. She was terrified beyond belief.

Being just her luck, she ran into a dead end.

She slid to the floor, back to the wall, scrunching her eyes shut, pulling her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. "Doctor please protect me… Doctor please protect me!" She whispered tearfully.

She scrunched open an eye after nothing happened. Looking up slowly, she found herself staring at… herself. The duplicate loomed over her, a cold expression etched on its face. The other two Zygons stood behind her, retaining their original form.

"Wha… What?" Osgood stammered in confusion, hugging her legs tighter.

Her clone smiled fiercely. "Ah… puny little humans, never understanding alien concepts." She blinked. "Oh, so many negative thoughts and memories in this head of yours! You're right, your sister is prettier than you. Now…" Osgood cowered in fright as she stretched forth her hand. "I'm going to need that inhaler."

* * *

The Master's eyes snapped open at the commotion that greeted him. Looking around, he found that he had three new people in his cell, all of them bound by the same substance he was.

They appeared to be unconscious, but one of them was waking up.

"What's going on?" The girl wailed, staring down in horror at the pink, sticky substance that bound her to the wall adjacent to him.

The Master winced. "Don't be so loud! You don't want to attract attention. But you may already have, judging by that loud scarf."

She looked over at him, panic glinting in her eyes. "Where are we? Why am I stuck like this?"

He opened his mouth to explain, but before he could, the woman on the other side of the room stirred.

She lifted her head, blinking and looking around in confusion. "Osgood! What are you doing here?" She tugged at the material that bound her. "And what is this?"

"I don't know!" She said tearfully. "He was going to explain it." She jerked her head in the Master's direction.

He sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. "We're on a Zygon ship, and you're bound in a Zygon nest. Don't try to escape. I've tried. It's useless. Who are you?"

"I'm Kate Stewart, with UNIT." The older woman said. "And she is Osgood, my personal assistant. He…" She looked at the man who was still unconscious. "…is McGillop, a scientist. Who are you, might I ask?"

"The Master."

She cocked her head. "Are you a friend of the Doctor's?"

He smiled. "More like an enemy, but yes, I am a Time Lord."

"Do you think the Doctor will come and save us?" Osgood squeaked. "I'm scared!"

"Maybe, if the idiot ever figures out that the man walking around out there isn't me!" He snarled.

"So, there are duplicates of us walking around out there?" Kate asked.

"Yes, and their intentions aren't good."

"What do they want to do?"

"As much as I hate earth, they're going to take it over. But, they need to kill the Doctor to ensure that nothing goes wrong with their plans. So, they take the forms of the people he would trust the most, and for some reason they chose me, even though I'm not trustworthy in the slightest. These…" He looked down at the pink material. "…are used so that the Zygons can retain our forms at all times. There is no escape."

Kate looked at him. This man was strange. He had an insane glint in his brown eyes, and by the sound of it, he didn't like humans, but it looked like he knew what he was saying. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "Days, weeks. Not sure."

"Are there any more prisoners that you know of?" Osgood asked, having calmed down a little.

"Yes. One little girl that I talked to briefly in the park the other day. They took her, just because I spoke to her." He looked a little regretful. "She looks like she's only five. She doesn't deserve this."

"Poor thing…" Osgood murmured, hanging her head.

"Will he be okay?" Kate asked, looking over at McGillop, who still hung limp.

"Probably. You're always out for a bit after they take you. You two had a speedier recovery for some reason."

"What do we do?" Osgood said fearfully. "Will they kill us?"

"Not yet."


	10. Chapter 10

"So what seems to be the problem?" The Doctor asked as he spun into the Undergallery.

"Miss Stewart has gone missing." Osgood said, stepping forward from where she had been standing. "We've looked everywhere but there's no sign of her."

The War Doctor looked at the white sheets, which now lay crumpled on the ground amidst the stone dust. "The statues have moved."

"No." The Doctor said, squatting to inspect the ground. "Something else did. Look at these footprints!"

"Ah, yes." Osgood looked down at the prints, which resembled a human, but were much larger and more crooked looking. "We've already looked over them, and we can't seem to figure out what they're from."

He looked up at her. "Did you ever get those reports I asked for?"

"Yes I did." She handed him the papers.

"Good girl." He stood up, looking them over.

"What do they say?" The Master asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Who's this?" Osgood asked. "Is this another one of your incarnations?"

He scowled at her. "Don't you—"

"This is the Master." The Doctor interrupted. "A fellow Time Lord and a friend of mine."

"I'm not your friend."

"Statues!" He cried. "I knew it!"

"Well what does that mean for us?" Ten asked, confused at his future self's actions.

He grinned at his younger version. "Ah, I knew it! I knew it had to be something! The creatures smashed the statues that were under the sheets and pretended to be statues themselves!"

"…and so they took Kate?"

"Yeah." He looked around. "And possibly others."

"Well I'll be!" The War Doctor exclaimed as he inspected the footprints. "It looks like a Zygon to me!"

Ten knelt down, taking out his screwdriver and scanning the imprints. "Could very well be. It's hard to tell, though."

The Doctor looked at Osgood. "Where do these lead?"

"That's what I was about to suggest." She said. "I'll have McGillop escort you to our further findings." The scientist stepped forward.

The Doctor turned to the Master, murmuring in his ear. "You stay here. I can't be convinced that one of these scientists isn't a Zygon themselves. Just to be safe."

The Master nodded silently, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes as the Doctors were led away.

"So what are we looking at?" Ten asked.

They stood facing a dead end halllway. There appeared to be nothing unusual about it. Blank white walls with paintings hung upon it, and nothing else. The only thing out of the ordinary was the dwindling trail of grey dust ending at the far side of the corridor.

"This is where the trail of dust supposedly left by the Zygons ends." McGillop explained, his voice echoing around the eerily quiet hallways.

The Doctor stepped forward, looking around. "This is the only place the Zygon went?"

"As far as we know."

"Well why would they come here?" The War Doctor asked, spinning in a slow circle. "It's just a dead end."

Ten went around the room, pressing his ear to the walls and knocking on them. "Nope. No other way out. It's a dead end alright."

The Doctor knelt down at the end of the hallway, inspecting the hardwood floor curiously. "Hello…"

McGillop peered at him curiously. "What is it?"

"It's a set of footprints." He said as he inspected the faint prints in the dust.

"So? It's probably the Zygon."

"No, no, no. This is different. They're human footprints! Somebody was standing here…" He stood up, planting his feet in the dust where the prints were. "They were standing here, and somebody was backed up against the wall. Trapped! They were trapped!"

"Who was it?" The War Doctor asked.

"Not sure. Could be Kate, chased by a Zygon." He knelt again, taking a bit of the crushed stone and licking it. "Leather shoes."

The War Doctor stared at his future self in confusion, stepping closer. "Why do you lick things? What's the point? I wonder where you two picked up all these strange quirks."

"Hey. In my defense, he's weirder than I am." Ten defended himself as he joined his other selves.

"That's a matter of opinion, I think."

The Doctor grinned crookedly. "It's like smelling things, but better."

"Did something happen to your nose, then?"

He waved his hands dismissively. "It doesn't matter! Anyway, we know that someone was trapped here, and out there somewhere is a Zygon duplicate of somebody, though I'm not sure who it could be…"

"I have an idea of who may have been trapped." McGillop' s voice echoed behind them.

"Really?" The Doctor turned, smiling. "Who…" The words died on his lips.

McGillop was standing in the same place he had been a few minutes ago, but he looked very different. His eyes were yellow, gleaming fiercely in the bright light of the gallery hallway. His arms were showing suction cups that appeared to be poking through his skin with a pinkish color. He was smiling, and his teeth were vicious, yellowed, sharp fangs that were bared in his ferocious grin. He took a step forward, and the Doctors took a step back, their backs pressed against the wall.

"You're trapped." He hissed, his voice beginning to revert into the gurgling whisper of the Zyons. "Now, it's time to meet your end, Doctor."

* * *

"What word have you on your exploits with the Doctor?" Osgood's duplicate asked the Master.

The two stood alone in the painting room, having sent the other scientists away, taking the opportunity to let their true selves show through.

The Master's duplicate grinned at her. "Perfectly fine. These thick people have no idea what's going on. And the Time Lords… They're even dumber! Three Time Lords in one room and none of them suspect a thing. Not even the Doctor."

She smiled evilly. "He can be incredibly stupid. And to think, we're about to kill three of them! Even better."

"We might have to make some copies then. I'm quite enjoying this whole setup with that little human girl that the Doctor has befriended."

"How is that going?"

He looked down at his hand, twisting the golden band on his finger. "She doesn't suspect a thing. It's a shame I'll have to kill her eventually. She is a little bit put off by my 'strange' behavior, but she dismisses it. We agreed to have the wedding in a week… I guess now five days."

"That's awfully quick."

He looked at his fellow Zygon with a treacherous glint in his eyes. "All the better."

She looked past him at the TARDIS, which was sitting outside the small entrance to the Undergallery. "What about his blue box? If we took that, we could-"

"Forget it." He growled. "He locked it, and the key is still in the real Master's clothes. I forgot about it."

At that moment, there was a chorus of shouting that echoed loudly throughout the room, coming from the direction that the trail of dust took.

The Master scowled. "What the-"

The three Doctors ran into the room, seemingly tripping and stumbling over themselves, sending up clouds of grey dust as they bumbled. The two looked on in shock.

"What's going on?" The Master asked.

The Doctor coughed, flailing at the dust in an attempt to clear his vision of the thick obscuring agent, tripping again and sending up more as Ten bumped into him in his seemingly panicked state.

"Now would be a good time to run!"


	11. Chapter 11

_Minutes earlier…_

"…so you're a Zygon." The Doctor said, eyeing the scientist/Zygon hybrid in front of them. "What have you done with Kate?"

The Zygon bared his fangs in a fiendish grin, looking bizarre with its human face. "We've taken her."

"How many more of you are there?"

The War Doctor leaned close to Ten. "How do we get out of this?"

Ten looked on at the exchange grimly. "We should have a plan."

"…enough." The Zygon was saying.

"How did you get here?" Ten asked. "I saw you in the 1500s! It makes no sense that you could be _here_ 500 years later!"

The Zygon turned towards him, resting his strange yellow eyes on the Time Lord. "Your species are quite dull for being Lords of Time. I'm quite glad you're on of the last ones out there. I can't stand your insufferable race."

The War Doctor blinked. "But…"

"Uh oh." The Doctor whispered as a look of rage briefly crossed the Tenth Doctor's face. "The man who regrets."

Ten sighed, glancing at his other selves. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I have this." He pulled an odd contraption from his pocket. Lights flickered on it, and it had a spinning satellite thing on the top. It whirred and clicked mechanically as it worked.

The War Doctor frowned. "What is that?"

"It's a machine that goes 'ding'." Ten said with a confident grin, turning back to face the Zygon hybrid. "And it is exceptionally good at stopping Zygons."

"How does it do that?" The Zygon asked, regarding the machine skeptically.

"You throw it!" On the last word, he threw the small machine as hard as he could at the Zygon, hitting it in the head with a thick, rattling _clunk_. "Run!"

The three Doctors tore down the hall, barreling past the dazed monster and skidding around the corner, the Doctor nearly slipping and falling from the slick dust on the floor. Their pace rapidly increased as a monstrous roar rang out behind them, echoing throughout the halls of the Undergallery. The Doctor chanced a look behind him, and saw the Zygon, now fully reverted back into its normal form, coming after them. Despite its bulky stature, it was gaining on them rapidly.

Following the dust path, they made their way back into the painting room, where the Master and Osgood were still standing. They tripped over themselves as they stumbled , sending up clouds of the thick, choking dust.

The Master frowned at them. "What's going on?"

The Doctor coughed, flailing at the air around him in an attempt to clear it of the dust that had invaded his lungs and his eyes, tripping again as Ten stumbled into him blindly. "Now would be a good time to run!"

The Master tensed, looking around. "Run from what?"

A gurgling roar echoed from behind the Doctors, answering the question for him. The Zygon was coming rapidly down the corridor towards them.

The Doctor stumbled to Osgood, grabbing her shoulders. "Come on. We need to get to the TARDIS!"

She opened her mouth, revealing her yellowed teeth. "I'm afraid that's not possible."

The Doctor stumbled away, shoving her backwards. "She's a Zygon too! Run!"

Ten grabbed the War Doctor's arm and practically dragged him after the Master and the Doctor towards the blue box that seemed very inviting compared to the monsters chasing them.

The Doctor fumbled with the TARDIS key, nearly dropping it as he brought it out of his pocket. He jammed it in the lock, fiddling with it.

"Why is this version of me so clumsy?" The War Doctor cried.

"That's what I would like to know!" The Master growled as he pounded on the TARDIS door, glancing back at the Zygon and the hybrid that were making their way towards the four Time Lords rapidly, baring fierce grins as they advanced.

"Ah ha!" The doors flew open and the group, which had been leaning against them, practically fell inside.

The Doctor hopped up, slamming the doors shut, pressing his back against them. He jumped slightly as they shook with the force of the Zygons banging against them. "Get us out of here, quick!"

Ten laid his hand on the lever. "Where to?"

"Clara's house!"

* * *

"Clara?" The Doctor poked his head out the door, looking around her flat. It was silent, and empty. Looking at the clock, he saw it read noon the following day.

"Whoops." He stepped out into the living room.

The War Doctor hesitated before exiting. "Do you think she would mind the dust we will track in?"

The Doctor looked down at his shoes, which were practically colored grey with the dust they had coalesced. He had left a trail of thick footprints on the carpet. "I doubt it."

Ten stepped out, spinning in a circle as he tried to look at the back of his trench coat, which was generously smudged grey as well. "Great! This was a perfectly good trench coat! Now I'll have to wash it. Stupid dust."

The Master flung himself on the couch, wiping a smudge of the dust off of his forehead. "Great. So two scientists at UNIT are Zygons, and the head is missing, and anyone else could be a Zygon, practically. Where does that leave us?"

"I don't know." The Doctor said, walking up to Clara's fridge. There was a paper taped to it, scrawled with River's handwriting.

_Gone out wedding planning_

_Get home soon and don't make a mess_

_Love, River_

He ripped it off the door and crumpled the item up, throwing it into the bin.

"What was that?" The War Doctor asked from his spot in the TARDIS doorway. He had thought it would be impolite to spread the dust all over Clara's house like the other three were succeeding in doing.

"Nothing. Just a note."

"I don't understand!" Ten gritted, pacing in a circle. "How could the Zygons be here, and in the 1500s? It doesn't make sense!"

The Doctor leaned against the counter, deep in thought. "And we still haven't figured out the paintings, though that probably has something to do with it."

"Anyone could be a Zygon." The Master mumbled, sounding unconcerned.

"That's right." He eyed his companions a little bit warily. "We must be careful. The Zygons want to kill me… us…"

The Master spread his hands wide. "And where does that leave me?"

"They probably will just kill you too, considering you're a Time Lord as well."

"Oh goody."

"And what about UNIT?" Ten queried. "We can't just let the Zygons take over the organization! And Kate! We never found her! She could be dead, for all we know."

"There must be a way to tell who is a Zygon and who is a man." The War Doctor stated. "We can't be at a total loss."

Ten shrugged. "Well, there was the device that went 'ding', but it wasn't super accurate, and… you know… I threw it at the monster."

The Master snorted, throwing an arm over his eyes. "Nice going."

"Don't you ever shut up?" He hissed.

"No." He smirked. "But consider this. I was standing there with a Zygon for a good twenty minutes, so you three ask yourselves this: Why didn't the Zygon just kill me then and there? I was defenseless, and a Time Lord, as the Doctor said."

"Good question." The Doctor stared at the blond Time Lord.

"Maybe the Zygons let us escape." The War Doctor hypothesized.

"Maybe." Ten murmured, settling in an armchair. "But why?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. The Last time I encountered Zygons was… oh… four or five faces ago. They don't turn up very often.

"Yeah." Ten nodded, his eyes far away, a smile twitching at his lips. "I haven't seen Sarah Jane in a while. I miss her."

The War Doctor cocked his head, smiling slightly. "I see her again?"

"Spoilers."

The Doctor sighed sadly, listening to them talk. Only he knew what was to come of her.

"You and your earth females." The Master mumbled. "I will never understand what you have with them."

"Hey! You fell for more than one!"

"So I did."

* * *

The War Doctor jumped as he heard shriek outside of the TARDIS. He poked his head out to see River, Clara and the Woman berating the three Time Lords, who stood there, looking very confused as to why they were so angry.

"Look at this!" Clara almost yelled, gesturing to the dust that covered a good portion of her floor and furniture. "What have you been doing?"

The Doctor scratched his head. "Ah, well… Zygons happened, and…"

"And what?" Clara was furious at the state her flat was in. Every time she left she told them not to make a mess, but it always ended in catastrophe.

"Did I not teach you manners back on Gallifrey?" The Woman asked, stepping forward. The three Time Lords took a step away from her.

River watched the exchange in amusement, holding the bags full of wedding items that they had purchased while they were out. It was quite funny to see the three tall men back away from the considerably smaller Time Lady.

"Well there were Zygons, and we were in a panic!" Ten explained. "They were chasing us! And they turned into the scientists!"

Clara glared at the Master. "You can tell us all about it after all three of you have a shower. Why didn't you do that like normal people?"

The Master grinned cheekily at her. "Do I look like people?"

"Just go!"

* * *

"Hello?" Clara peeked into the TARDIS.

The War Doctor looked up at her from the bench he was sitting on, where he had been silently brooding. He smiled. "Hello."

She stepped inside, shutting the doors behind her. She giggled slightly at his bedraggled appearance. His clothes were smudged with the dust, and his white hair was quite messy. A product of their latest adventures, no doubt.

"I must say. This version of you seems far more polite than your future selves. I'm glad you didn't track dust all over my house."

His eyes twinkled. "My future incarnations seem to have forgotten proper etiquette."

She took a seat next to him. "I've been wondering…" She hesitated.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Doctor, why do they not like you?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "I do not call myself Doctor in this incarnation. I'm not worthy of it. You see, I am the one who destroys them all.

"The Time Lords?"

"Yes. Every single one of them. I was just about to do so when I got sucked into all of this."

Clara looked at him. He seemed sad, beaten down. She realized that this Doctor had seen the horrors of the Time War and more. She didn't know what it was like, but she figured that it wasn't good. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to be faced with the proposition of destroying one's own people like he had been. It must have been horrible.

"Well, I hope you don't mind this detour."

He smiled. "Not at all."

"What can destroy all the Time Lords?"

"The Moment."

"Hm?"

"The Moment, otherwise known as the Galaxy Eater. In the last days of the Time War, the Time Lords had used every weapon they had, all except for that one. It can destroy entire galaxies in a single instance, hence its name."

"Sounds dangerous."

He nodded. "It is. It's so powerful that it developed a conscience. It questions you on whether using it is the best thing to do."

"Is it?"

"I don't know."

"How did you ever get your hands on a weapon such as that?"

"I stole it."

She smiled at this older, grizzled Doctor. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Your past self is no different than the future versions when it comes to stealing."

He scratched his head. "That's not good."

She leaned against his shoulder. "Ah, Doctor. Every form of you is lovely in its own way. You're still my best friend, regardless of which face you have."

"I thought I told you not to call me Doctor."

"What would you rather me call you? The Warrior?"

"Good point."

At that point, the door opened and the Doctor poked his head inside. His hair was crazy, and it had soap in it. "We have a visitor."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Writer's block is not my friend.**

* * *

Clara and the War Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. "Who's here?"

The Doctor gestured. "Her."

Across the room, a little girl stood there, talking to the Woman. Her blond hair and dress were quite dirty, as if she had been running from something.

Clara frowned. "Who's that?"

The Doctor ran his hands through his already-crazy hair. He looked like he had just stepped out of the shower. His shirt was crumpled, as if he had just thrown it on. "She's a little girl we met in the park the other day when you went shopping. River found her outside."

"…and there was a big scary red man chasing me!" The little girl was saying.

Ten leaned in close to the Woman's ear. "We should be careful. She may be a Zygon to!"

She glared at him. "Don't be silly! How would the Zygons find us in the first place? Besides, she's just a little girl."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Come on, dear. Let's get you cleaned up."

The War Doctor watched as the Woman took the girl into the bathroom. "Why were the Zygons chasing her in the first place?"

"The Zygons want to deceive me." The Doctor muttered, looking after them. "I guess they're trying to chase down anyone that they deem capable of maintaining my trust, and they tried to catch that little girl, if that really is her."

Clara looked at him. "Then why are you letting her in here if you think she might be a Zygon?"

"Because I can't be sure she's not just human. I'll keep a close eye on her, though."

Ten walked up to them, clasping his hands together. "Well, now that that's settled, I'll go-"

Clara stopped him before he spoke further. "You're not going anywhere! Now that you've had a shower, you and you…" She pointed at the Doctor. "…are going to clean up this floor!"

Ten stared at her. "What?"

"What about the Master?" The Doctor fussed.

She looked around. "I don't see him anywhere, and also, he's my fiancée, so he is exempt."

"What about him?" Ten stabbed a finger in the War Doctor's direction.

She glared at him challengingly. "He didn't walk all over my good carpet with dust feet and clothes, because he actually has sense."

* * *

Later, the Doctor stepped into the TARDIS, now more disheveled than ever after having to clean Clara's floor. He heard noise echoing from somewhere inside the machine. He guessed it must be the Master.

* * *

The Master had been tugging away for hours.

He had felt a slightly loose area in his trap around his left arm, and was currently trying to pull it free from the pink slime. He was urged on by his three cellmates, as McGillop had woken up a few hours prior to the discovery. It seemed to be getting loser by the second.

* * *

The Doctor rounded a corner, and saw that it was the Master who was the source of the noise. He was tinkering with some little random contraption, sending the metallic clinks through the silent TARDIS. His hair was wild, as if he had just gotten out of the shower, and his clothes were quite rumpled. If he heard the Doctor approach, he did not acknowledge him.

* * *

The Master leaned his head back against the wall, sighing in despair. His efforts had proved unsuccessful, because where there was one loose strand, there was always a strong one to take its place. There seemed no point in trying anymore.

* * *

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something to the Master, but before he could, something happened.

Just for one second, an instant, so fast that he wasn't even sure if he saw it, the Master's appearance flickered from normal to that of the Zygon/human hybrid, his skin turning red and bearing the suction cups that the others had. Before he could register what had happened, it was gone, and the Master's appearance returned to normal.

The blond Time Lord carried on with his work undisturbed, seemingly unaware of this change or the Doctor's presence.

The Doctor blinked, unsure of what had just happened. He wasn't even sure if he had just seen that. He backed away from the door and the Master, turning and tearing off down the corridor.

* * *

Clara sat on the couch with her laptop. A sigh escaped her lips, and she ran her fingers through her hair in mild agitation.

Ten lay outstretched on the floor, relaxing after a hard bout of carpet cleaning. The Woman had gone out in search of some better clothes for the girl, leaving her in the care of the War Doctor, who she deemed the most suitable out of the three incarnations to take care of her. Now they were off somewhere else in the flat, probably playing some sort of game.

River stepped over Ten, taking a seat beside Clara. "Anything the matter?"

"No." Clara murmured. "It's just difficult to plan a wedding with everything going on, especially in a week. I mean, first we have shape-shifting monsters invading the planet and bent on killing the Doctor, and then the three Doctors, and now we have a little girl that's most likely separated from her parents by the monsters. I honestly don't know how many more people my flat can hold. It's only supposed to house two people in the first place."

River smiled. "It's not supposed to be easy when you deal with the Doctor, but don't worry. We'll get things sorted out eventually. Hey, do you want to go over to St. John's tomorrow? We haven't checked that place out yet."

"I see no reason why not."

"I honestly don't know what you see in him." Ten sighed from his position on the floor. "He's the most arrogant, pompous, murderous, insane-"

"Oi!" River nudged his arm with her foot. "Like you've never been in love before. Besides, you'll understand once you get to the point where the current Doctor is."

"I hope so, because I-"

He was cut off as the TARDIS doors opened and the Doctor ran out at full speed. He tripped over his past self and fell, arms flapping comically, straight into River's lap.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" River asked, looking down in amusement at her husband.

The Doctor scrambled upright, dusting himself off furiously, trying and failing miserably to hide his blush. "I think the Master is a Zygon!"

Ten twisted his head around, looking up at him in confusion. "Huh?"

"I think I saw him… Well, I don't think, I _know_ that I saw him briefly change into the appearance of a Zygon hybrid! It was only for a moment, but I'm pretty sure I saw his form change and his skin turn red! I think…" He pointed wildly at the blue box, sputtering. "He's in there!"

Clara cracked a small smile. "Doctor, you're not making a lot of sense."

River shook her head. "When was the last time you had a good, proper sleep?"

"Two months ago!" The Doctor waved his hands. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I know what I saw, or at least I think I do…"

"Well, if it was a Zygon, wouldn't it have tried to kill you by now?" Ten asked.

"No!" He leered down at him. "Maybe. I don't know!"

"If only I had my ding machine." He sighed ruefully. "Then we could tell."

"Well that's what you get for throwing it at a Zygon's head!"

"What else were we supposed to do?"

"I could've-"

"He does have a point, Doctor." River interrupted the argument. "If it was an actual Zygon, it probably would've tried to attack you by now. You know how fast the others were to attack you at the Undergallery and in the 1500s. I think you're just tired, and need some real sleep."

He rubbed his forehead. "Fine." He looked down at his past incarnation on the floor. "Could you try and make another ding machine, just to be safe?"

"Sure, but it won't be on the fly."

"Good." He glanced at Clara. "You don't think I've gone insane, have you? I hope I haven't made you mad by calling your husband a monster."

She cocked her head. "Not yet. Don't worry about it. By the way, he's not my husband yet."

"Right…" He muttered, and he vanished into the TARDIS.

Clara looked at River. "Should I be concerned?"

She shook her head. "I wouldn't worry about. He gets like that every now and then. He just needs some sleep and he'll be back to normal."

"Oh!" Ten gasped from the floor. "The 1500s! I forgot to marry Elizabeth when we were there!" He started to sit up, but gave up and flopped down again. "Eh, I'll do it tomorrow."

River opened her mouth to object to the proceedings, but remembered who she was speaking to and held her silence. Clara noticed this and couldn't withhold a giggle at her expense.

The blond nudged her. "Shut up."

* * *

The Doctor stepped into the TARDIS to find the Master standing at the console, fiddling with it. The blond Time Lord looked up to see the Doctor staring at him.

He scowled. "What are you looking at?"

The Doctor looked away swiftly. "Nothing. I just need some sleep."

"Good luck."

The Doctor walked through the halls of the TARDIS, battling with his mind. Maybe River was right when she said he was just seeing things, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

The Woman stepped into Clara's flat late in the evening after a fruitful search for some better clothing to accommodate the girl, whose name was Annie. The flat was dark, aside from the light cast by the flickering television screen and the TARDIS. The doors to the two bedrooms were closed, indicating that Clara, and probably River, were asleep.

The TARDIS doors were open, shining orange light on the couch opposite it where the War Doctor sat, half laying down. Annie lay against him, clutching his jacket as she slept.

He looked up as she approached.

"Is she okay?" She whispered.

"Yes, surprisingly."

"I don't want to set the world on fire…" Ten's voiced warbled from inside the TARDIS as he sang in an off-key voice. Right after this statement, there was a bang, and smoke filled the TARDIS, enveloping the interior in white.

"Oh, nice going!" The Doctor yelled as he coughed. "Can't you apply a single circuit right?"

"Speak for yourself!"

The Woman set her bag down and stepped inside the blue box, shutting the doors behind her to block out the noise that could potentially wake Annie. "What are you doing?"

When the smoke cleared, it revealed the tenth and eleventh Doctors standing over a pile of wires and blinking light and circuit panels. Ten was holding some instruments, which were poised over the sparking wire that was in front of him.

He looked up at her, his eyes shining through the large scientist goggles he wore and a crazy grin on his face that was smeared with ash. "We're making a machine that goes 'ding'!"

"Why?"

"I asked him to try and make another one to detect Zygons." The Doctor said. "After he threw the last one at a Zygon."

Ten glared at him. "You won't get over that, will you?"

"No!"

The Woman walked up to the table where the mess was sitting. "How's that going for you?"

Ten puffed out his chest. "I think it's going great!"

"Aside from the fact that it just blew up?"

"Yeah, well…" He lifted the piece of sparking wire with a pair of tweezers. "That doesn't really matter." There was a loud bzzt, and he jerked away from the wire, grinning sheepishly at his skeptical mother. "It really doesn't."

The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes, leaning in close to her. "He doesn't know what he's doing, in all truth."

"Hey!" Ten scowled. "It's been a few hundred years. Give me a break! Besides, when was the last time you did this?"

He scratched his head. "Somewhere around this time…"

"See? I know what I'm doing more than you!"

"Play nice!" The Woman scolded. "Why not ask Koschei? Isn't he good at this sort of thing?"

The Doctor gave her a look of injured pride. "That's below me!"

She sighed in despair at her sons. "I will never understand you."

* * *

The next day, Ten stood in front of the mirror in the TARDIS, smoothing down his hair and preening himself. He turned to his fellow Doctors and the Master. He grinned. "How do I look?"

"Dumb." The Master grumbled.

"I'm sure she'll think you're lovely." The Doctor said, straightening his tie.

The Doctors and the Master had gone off back to the 1500s so that Ten could marry Elizabeth, as he was supposed to.

Ten looked down at the pile of wires and metal that was "the machine that goes 'ding'" in progress. "Well, that's not happening anytime soon." He had worked on the machine the entire night, with no success.

"Materializing!" The Doctor called, flipping the switch. The hollow sound rang throughout the halls, signaling their arrival.

Ten poked his head out of the TARDIS, looking around the hallways of Elizabeth's palace. "Hello?"

"My love!" The redhead came running down the hall, her shoes clicking on the marble floor as she ran. She hitched up her considerably frilly skirts as she moved. "You've been gone for nearly a week! I was starting to worry!"

He opened his arms. "You never need to worry!" He embraced her as she ran into his arms, and she threw his arms around his neck, kissing him. He stepped back slightly, surprised by the sudden contact.

The Master groaned in disgust from behind him, and the Doctor muttered: "Oh dear.", with thoughts of River running through his mind. He was glad she wasn't here.

Elizabeth separated from him, smiling. "Now come, we have a wedding to put on!"

* * *

McGillop and Osgood strolled through the dim isles of metal shelves, tinkering with the many weapons and gadgets that lay before them.

"This is the most wonderful develop." A Zygon gurgled behind them. "We now have complete control of UNIT and its resources! The Doctor will die soon, as soon as our brother has what he wants. It almost seems pitiful."

"Wonderful developments indeed." The McGillop Zygon muttered as he picked up an interesting-looking gadget. "These puny little humans have no idea what's going to become of them soon."

"The Doctor is surrounding himself with Zygons." The red monster shuffled slightly. "They are so dim they don't even realize it. We had a close call the other day with the Time Lord Zygon. The captive almost managed to compromise his entrapment, and it resulted in a brief flicker of disguise."

Osgood whipped around to face it. "Did anyone see?"

"Well, the Doctor saw-"

"What?" She strode up to the alien in a blink of an eye. "He saw our brother for what he really was?"

"For a brief moment, yes." The Zygon stared down at her scowling face unblinkingly. "But his friends convinced him of his own imagination, and he dismissed it."

The Osgood Zygon turned away. "Good. One little thing and our plan could be ruined."

* * *

The Doctor and Elizabeth stood on the green lawn of the courtyard inside her castle, facing each other. The other two Doctors and the Master stood off to one side, watching the ceremony.

"…do you, Doctor, take Elizabeth to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as you both shall live?" the priest was saying.

He grinned. "I do."

"And do you, Elizabeth, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do!"

"Then by the power vested in me, you may now kiss the bride!"

Elizabeth grabbed his face and kissed him, not even giving him a chance to figure out what was going on. The War Doctor tossed a handful of rice at them.

The Master turned away. "This is repulsive."

The Doctor nudged him. "You'll be doing this in a few days."

"Well, I don't mind kissing that girl."

Elizabeth separated from Ten, caressing his cheek. "Now, God speed gentle husband!"

He grinned. "You got it! Allons-y!" He ran off towards the TARDIS, the other Time Lords close in following.

As they entered the War Doctor asked: "Where do we go now?"

The Doctor laid his hand on the dematerialization switch, a knowing smile creeping onto his face. "The Undergallery!"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Eh, this chapter doesn't really have a point, aside from some information about the little girl. It may have more of a point later on though. More of a filler really, but I'm surprised at how long it turned out to be for something like this.**

* * *

"…and what about the honeymoon?" River asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Clara said dreamily. "He could probably take the Doctor's TARDIS and whisk me off somewhere wonderful."

"That sounds like a plan."

River, Clara, the Woman and Annie were walking down the streets of London. It was late afternoon, as Clara had gotten home from work shortly before. They were on their way over to St. John's Church, where Clara could talk to the pastor.

The entire way over there, River had ranted on about how her Doctor was getting married to some queen of England, finally venting her frustration and anger after keeping it inside all day. The Woman had gently reminded her that the Doctor that was getting married was a past incarnation of him, and it technically wasn't her Doctor, to which she felt a bit better about. She didn't necessarily approve of her son marrying some woman she had barely met either, but went along with it anyway, knowing the nature of the Time Lords. They were just moving on to more wedding plans at this point as they walked down the street.

"Here we are!" Clara said, pacing her hands on her hips as she faced a building.

It was a church indeed. Stone walls engraved with stained glass windows, a steeple poking high into the sky. The architecture was that of some past era, looking old and medieval. Two angel statues stood on the gables, looking out over the city with calm faces, their stone features illuminated in the orange light of late afternoon.

"I've been here before." The Woman murmured, tightening her grip on Annie's hand.

River cocked her head as she looked at her. "You have? When?"

"A long time ago."

Clara went up to the wooden door and opened it, the hinges creaking quite loudly. The inside was one large room with ceilings arched high. Pillars of stone rose from the floor to the ceilings, wooden pews lined up next to them. The room was illuminated with the multicolored light of the stained glass windows depicting many biblical figures, casting hues upon the red carpet that went down the middle aisle towards the pulpit at the front. The halls echoed with the chanting of men in some unknown language.

_Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti  
Beatae Mariae semper Virgini  
Beato Michaeli archangelo  
Sanctis apostolis omnibus sanctis_

As Clara stepped inside, she could swear that she heard a louder voice take up the chanting, but dismissed it as she was interrupted.

"Clara!" An old man hurried from some recess inside the church, dressed in white and red robes, obviously the pastor. He embraced her. "What brings you here in the middle of the week like this?"

"Well, I have some inquires."

"Of course, child."

She turned back to her friends. "I'll be back in a few minutes. That okay with you?"

River shrugged. "Whatever."

As Clara and the man walked off, Annie rubbed her arms, shivering. "It's cold in here."

River looked down at her. "You want to go outside? It's warmer out there."

"Yes please."

She looked at the Woman. "You want to come?'

"No. I'm fine." As River and Annie left, the Woman took a seat in a pew. She was looking at the stained glass window in the front of the church, which depicted more biblical people. She smiled as she looked down in the left corner, which had a little blue box, flying through the air.

* * *

Annie looked up at the statues on the church. "Why are the angels crying?"

River peered up at them. "No one knows why." She wasn't about to tell her of the nature of the Weeping Angels. Zygons were enough. Fortunately, there were too many people around for them to even consider moving.

"They seem sad." Annie said in her naivety.

"They should be." River murmured.

Annie wandered over to the stone brick wall that bordered some decorative shrubs and hauled herself up onto the it, taking a seat.

River sat down next to her, and couldn't help but smile as she watched her kick her feet, which hung a good six inches above the pavement. She honestly had no idea where this little girl had come from, other than the fact that the Doctor and the Master had apparently met her in Hyde Park the other day. She had told them that she couldn't remember her last name, so they were stuck with her for now. There had to be some way that the TARDIS could track her parents or something…

She was interrupted from her thoughts as Annie's voice cut through.

"Why were the scary red men chasing me?"

River looked down at her, trying to think of the best way to explain the situation to a five-year-old. "Well… they were coming after you because you talked to those two men the other day in the park."

Annie looked up at her, her blond pigtails fluttering in the breeze. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"No!" River said, if a bit too quickly. "They are perfectly fine. It's just that they have some enemies, and sometimes the scary men think that the best way to get to them is to take a sweet little girl like you."

"Mummy always told me not to talk to strangers."

"You shouldn't." River said. "But I promise that as long as you're with us, we won't let the scary red men come and take you again. We'll get you back to your family eventually."

"Why not now?"

"There's just a lot going on." In truth, the Doctor thought it best to let the girl stay with them until the Zygon thing was cleared up. He didn't want them trying to go after her again, because the outcome could be worse.

She looked up as the door opened, and the Woman and Clara stepped out. She stood up. "Did it go okay?"

Clara gave her a thumbs up, grinning. "Everything's good for Saturday!" Finally, something was going right without the Doctor totally getting in the way!

The group proceeded around the corner as they started the walk back. It was a pleasant day for a walk. The spring weather was warm, but not too hot, and there was a slight breeze, rustling the leaves of the bushes.

Clara looked around, taking in their surroundings as they walked, while River and the Woman talked about Time Lords and best men.

River broke away from their conversation briefly to pint at a different street. "We can take this way and save five minutes. I found it the other day."

"Fine with me." They turned the corner and proceeded down the new street.

Clara looked around as they walked. They passed by a building that had a golden plaque on it that read: Baker Street

She couldn't hold in a giggle. That sounded like the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that she had read many times over. She was so caught up in her thoughts about the stories that she wasn't looking where she was going, and bumped straight into someone.

She took a step back. "I'm sorry!"

Two men stood in front of her, both ridiculously tall. One of them had black, curly hair and ice blue eyes, dressed in a black trench coat and purple scarf that reminded her of the Doctor. The other man had brown hair and was dressed in a pinstripe suit, and held an umbrella in his hand, which he swung absentmindedly.

"Quite alright dear." Umbrella man said.

Before she knew what was happening, the black-haired man began talking at a million miles an hour.

"This girl is getting married soon. You can tell by the ring." He smiled slightly at her. "Congratulations. You got engaged just recently. I can tell by the polish of the ring."

Clara stared at him. "Uh…" How did he do that? He sounded like he had downed three cans of Monster, the way he was talking.

"Shut up!" The other man hissed. "You can't do this to random people."

"Oh, but these aren't random people." His ice-blue eyes flicked over to the Woman. "At least one of you obviously isn't quite human. I can tell by the pulse in your veins. It seems to be that you would have two hearts."

"Stop talking nonsense!" The other man growled at him. "Not human? You've had too much caffeine!"

He looked at River. "You've been married a while. You look stressed, as is typical with marriage I suppose. You might not be human either, for all I know."

Annie giggled. "He's funny."

"He is." The other man muttered.

The black-haired man glanced at her. "The child is obviously none of yours. No traits match you three whatsoever. Could you be hiding her from something, the way you hold her hand so tightly?"

The other man reached up and smacked him over the head with his umbrella.

"Ow!" Black hair glared at him. "What was that?"

Umbrella man grabbed him by the collar of his trench coat, nodding respectfully to the women. "I apologize for my dear brother. Obviously, he hasn't learned how to behave himself yet." With that, he dragged him down the street, black hair protesting all the way.

The three women stared after them in utter confusion and wonder.

Clara blinked. "How did he…"

"How did he know I wasn't human?" The Woman exclaimed. That was the first time anything like that had ever happened to her.

"Shh!" River hissed. "That's not something you just announce, even if that man just figured it out!"

"You would almost think he's a modern-day Sherlock Holmes." Clara muttered.

"Whatever the case…" River looked around the street warily. "We probably shouldn't be taking this shortcut again."

With that, they sped off down the street, away from the mysterious men.

* * *

**A/N: I could help myself. xD I don't watch much of Sherlock yet, but I do know that I love the relationship that Sherlock and his older bro have. They make me laugh all the time. Hey, they may even have a point to the story later on!**

**Reviews are awesome. :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sicarius: Funny? I didn't realize I was so good at writing two characters I've only seen for ten minutes on screen. xD**

* * *

The Zygons looked up as they heard a mechanical whirring echo through the Black Archive. A blue box was materializing at the end of a hallway.

The Doctor had been rather surprised to find that he had been able to infiltrate the Black Archive without any problems whatsoever. Apparently, the Zygons had been wreaking their havoc on the UNIT headquarters, and had, possibly by accident, taken down the TARDIS shields.

The Doctor swung out of the TARDIS, smiling at the Zygons in a seemingly friendly manner, though it looked quite ominous in the dim light of the room and the dark aisles surrounding him. "Hello!"

"Doctor!" The regular Zygon hissed. "What are you doing here?"

He steepled his fingers as his other selves and the Master stepped out of the machine behind him. "I am here for some information, that I'm sure you will willingly provide for me."

"Why would we do that?" Osgood Zygon snapped.

"Because…" He spread his hands wide, holding his screwdriver. "…I just activated a nuclear warhead that will detonate in…" He paused. "Fifteen minutes!"

"What?" The Master hissed in his ear.

"How do we know that you aren't trying to fool us?" McGillop Zygon growled, stepping forward.

"That." He pointed to his left, ignoring the Master behind him.

High on a shelf was something that looked like a giant digital clock, which was now beginning to count down from fifteen minutes in big red numbers.

"You would sacrifice yourself and your past incarnations and another Time Lord for the sake of London?" The regular Zygon inquired.

"Yes." The Doctor said, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"I didn't agree to this!" The Master whispered furiously to him. "I don't know what you have, but I have a fiancée, and I am not about to get blown up for the sake of some stupid human town that I don't even like, even if they are Zygons!"

He turned to face him, talking quietly so that the other Doctors couldn't hear. "Look, I have a wife too, and you know that. I promise, we'll get out of this."

The Master stepped back, obviously not satisfied, but he remained silent.

"Now," He turned back to face the monsters. "You provide me with the information I want, or we all get blown to bits. Your choice."

The Zygons glanced at each other, seemingly debating in silence.

"Fine!" Osgood Zygon snapped, after a long moment of silence. "What do you want to know?"

The Doctor stepped forward. "First, I would like to know how you and your… cohorts implanted yourselves in those paintings."

"Stasis cubes, idiot!" She snapped.

The War Doctor and Ten both groaned in unison, turning in a circle. "Ah, I should have known!"

"Ah, ah, ah." The Doctor chided, waving an admonishing finger in her direction. "No name calling, or I will feel compelled to call of our agreement! Though, that does make sense. Tis a shame that didn't occur to me before. Tell me, how many of you broke out of the paintings?"

"More than you can imagine!" The regular Zygon hissed, its yellowed fangs bared in a sinister grin. "We've hid ourselves since the 1500s, back then when the earth was less… suitable. We decided to preserve ourselves until now, when this planet is far more comfortable."

The clock hit thirteen.

"That's why the Zygons were in the 1500s!" Ten practically shouted, causing everyone present to jump slightly as his voice echoed around the large room. He grinned like a madman at the aliens. "Implanting yourself in stasis cubes, a slice of frozen time! Preserving yourselves until a better time, with no signs of time progression at all!" He waved his hands around. "Brilliant!"

The Doctor pointed. "Ah, much like the painting we saw the other day! You're not half bad!"

"Hey!"

He directed his gaze back to the Zygons. "Another question. Are my friends still alive?"

McGillop Zygon smiled. "For now."

The War Doctor wandered away, feeling he was no longer needed for the proceedings. As he walked away, he eyed the clock, which was now at twelve. He had time.

Amongst the many shelves and bins filled with interesting and potentially deadly items, he came across a corkboard. He approached the board slowly, staring at it in wonderment.

It was a board, tacked to the point of no space with photos and papers and sticky notes and files and items, all about him. It contained pictures of every single one of his incarnations, even some he hadn't seen before, labelled appropriately according to the face, ranging from "grumpy old man" to "arrogant skittle man". There were photos of all his companions. He looked over each one of their faces sadly. All of them had long since gone. He had no companions in this form that did not deserve the name of "Doctor". His eyes rested on a particularly sad one. Susan. He hadn't seen her in hundreds of years. Where UNIT had gotten a picture of her, he wasn't sure.

There were pictures of his enemies. Daleks, Cybermen (new and old), Sontarans, Silurians, Sea Devils, the Rani, the Toraji Star (he had no clue about that one) Clockwork Droids, even Weeping Angels. A sticky note was stuck on the image of the Angel, stating: _Don't worry! Psychic paper._

Items were stuck to the board, some of them leaning against the supports or laying on the floor underneath. There was a mask, a Dalek eyestalk, hats, umbrellas, a banana, a piece of celery, a burnt section of the TARDIS sign, a long colored scarf pooled on the floor, a pear. He remembered every single one that came from his past selves, though he remembered nothing about a banana and a pear. He shook his head. His younger versions had such odd cravings sometimes!

He looked over the amassed photos and papers again, spying a familiar face. The Master. Once again, they had captured him in every incarnation, even the revolting burnt version that he had taken on for quite a while.

"I'd say I've improved over time."

The War Doctor jumped slightly as the voice rang out behind him. He turned to see the Master standing there, hands behind his back.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I'd say I've improved in appearance greatly in appearance." He said with an arrogant smirk, stepping forward.

"Hard to believe that you're the same man." The War Doctor said, glancing between the black-haired suave menace and the young, blond, insane man.

"Believe it, old man."

"Old man?" He scoffed. "Well, I guess you're not that wrong, but still, it would be nice if you showed me a shred of respect."

The mad Time Lord eyed his enemy. "You don't deserve any."

"You haven't changed at all." He paused. "Could it be possible that you hate humanity a little less, now that these future events have transpired with this future companion of mine?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. Just a little…"

_Are you ready?_ The Moment murmured in his ear.

"I'm ready." He whispered.

The Master scowled at him. "Ready for what?"

Before he could answer, shouting broke out, the noise echoing loudly around the large room. The War Doctor and the Master ran to the source of the commotion, to find the Doctor struggling in the grip of the McGillop Zygon, the monster's hands around his neck. Another Zygon held Ten by the back of the trench coat.

The clock struck five.

"What happened?" The Master shouted.

"Uh…" The Doctor choked out as he wrestled the other man for control of his breathing passages. "A little help?"

The other Time Lord growled in exasperation and stepped forward, clearing the distance in two steps. He punched the man in the face, sending him sprawling backwards to the hard metal floor.

The Doctor stumbled, gasping for breath.

The Master grabbed him by the back of his coat, shoving him in the direction of the TARDIS, sending him flying. "Get in!" He turned to see that the Osgood Zygon advancing on him, fangs bared in a snarl.

The Doctor had freed Ten from the other Zygon and they now stood near the TARDIS with the War Doctor, gesturing for him to come on.

He took one last glance at the Zygons, and then ran for the time machine. As the Doctors saw him coming, they ran inside. The blond Time Lord ran in, slamming the door behind him.

"Good!" The Doctor clapped his hands, looking over the console. "Now we can get going!"

"What about the bomb?" The Master asked.

"Disabled it." Ten said, slipping his screwdriver back into his coat pocket.

"Doctor?" The War Doctor asked.

They both looked at him. "Yes?"

"The Moment is here. I am ready."

"Oh." The Doctor looked down at his hands, the horrors of the Time War filling his mind once again. Ten turned away, covering his face.

"You can just leave me at the farm house and…"

"No." The Doctor took a deep breath to clear his mind. "We do it together. All of us will be there." He glanced at the Master. "And I mean everybody."

Ten looked at him. "Even Clara and…?"

"Yes, even them." He flipped the switch and the TARDIS started up. "But first, we have to pick some things up."


	16. Chapter 16

Clara and the rest of her group walked into Clara's flat after the disturbing encounter with the strange men. They were still recovering from their shock.

River flung herself on the couch with a sigh, covering her eyes with her arm. "I'm never going to figure that out."

Clara shook her head. "I never will either. Honestly, who can tell how long someone has been married just by a look on their face? It's just not possible!"

"I know!" River sat up slightly, staring at Clara wide-eyed. "It just doesn't make sense!"

"And he knew I wasn't human." The Woman said as she took a carton of milk out of the fridge to pour a cup for Annie. She set the carton on the counter, eyeing the two women seriously. "In all my thousands of years, _no one_, no _human_, has ever been able to tell I wasn't human just by looking at me. If they knew, I told them."

"I think the brother knew too!" River said. "I think he was just trying not to come off as a loon like his sibling." She scoffed. "Who carries an umbrella around on a sunny day?"

"Sounds like the Doctor." Clara muttered.

As if on cue, the whirring, mechanical grinding filled the air, and the blue box materialized in the middle of the flat. The Doctor stepped out, gesturing to them to get inside. "Come on, you lot!"

River sat up. "Where are we going?"

"The Moment has come. Come on!" He looked at the Woman and Annie. "You too!"

"What?" The Time Lady walked up to him, lowering her voice, but it harbored a high level of intensity. "We are _not_ taking a little girl into the Time War!"

"Then what do we suggest we do?" The Doctor asked. "We can't leave you here. All of us are a distinct part of the timeline, and we can't risk leaving her here alone. The Zygons could find her. I promise, if we take her, she will be safe."

The Woman remained silent, and for a second he was afraid that she wouldn't agree, but after a long moment, she sighed. "Fine, but if we go, she is not leaving the TARDIS."

He clapped his hands. "Good! Now let's get going!"

"Wait a minute!" Clara said, grabbing the Doctor's sleeve. "I thought the War Doctor used the Moment alone! Why are we going?"

"We were all there Clara." He murmured to her. "I just… forgot for a while."

"How?"

"Regenerative amnesia in my ninth incarnation that took a long time to recover from."

"Okay…"

He made a swooping gesture. "Now, everyone into the TARDIS!"

As they entered the TARDIS, River looked around. "Where are the other Doctors?"

"I sent them back to their own ships. We meet them on Gallifrey."

Clara wandered up to the Master. "Hey you."

He draped an arm about her shoulders wordlessly.

"How did the wedding go?" She asked.

"Fine." He rolled his eyes in disgust. "You'd think a woman would have better standards than the Doctor."

She giggled.

The Doctor flipped the switch, glancing at the Woman, who stared back at him intensely as the TARDIS began to creak. "Here we go again."

* * *

_You said you wanted a big red button. Now you have one._

The War Doctor stood silently before the Moment in the old, dusty, ramshackle farmhouse. It had taken the form of a box with a pedestal sticking out, with something that looked like a large red diamond set in the top.

_One movement. One big bang, and it's all over. No more Time Lords. No more Daleks. Are you sure?_

"I was sure when I came in here." The War Doctor rasped, looking down at the glowing red jewel. "There is no other way."

_You have seen the man you will become._

"Those men? They are the Doctor."

_You are too._

"No, they are the Doctor. I do not deserve that name." His hand wavered over the button, images of children playing and running and laughing in the sun flashing through his mind. He was about to push it when the Moment interrupted him again.

You know the sound the TARDIS makes? That wheezing, groaning noise? That sound brings hope to all who hear it, even those who are the most lost.

At that point, the same noise filled his ears. He turned, and saw two TARDISes materializing next to each other at the end of the farmhouse. The two Docctors stepped out at exactly the same moment, the eleventh followed by his friends.

"Go back." The War Doctor said simply. "This is for me."

"We shouldn't even be here." Ten said, looking around. "This is time-locked."

"We got through somehow." The Doctor murmured.

The War Doctor turned back to the Moment. "Leave now and go live out your lives. Be the Doctor I never could be. Make it worthwhile." He rested his hand on the glowing jewel.

"This is buried in my memories." Ten said softly. "You pretended we didn't exist. A secret from myself. You say you weren't the Doctor, but you were the Doctor more than anybody else."

"You were the Doctor on the day it wasn't possible to get it right!" The Doctor told him, coming to his side.

Memories flashed through his mind of the Time War. _No More_.

"But this time…" He and Ten rested their hands on top of his, covering the button. "…You won't do it alone."

There was a moment of deathly silence, until it was broken by the whisper of the War Doctor. "Thank you."

Ten looked at his other faces, past and future. "What we do today, we do it not out of fear, or anger, or hatred. It is done because there is no other way."

"We do it in the name of the ones we couldn't save." The Doctor finished.

Silence fell once more as the Doctors stood there, steeling their nerves as they prepared to wipe out two entire races. The Time Lords and the Daleks.

The Doctor glanced over, and saw Clara, the Master's arms wrapped around her as she clutched tightly at his shirt. Her eyes were sad, and she shook her head slightly.

"What is it?" He asked, taking his hand off the button slightly.

"Nothing." She said quietly, a single tear slipping from her eye.

"It's something. What is it?"

"Just… You talked about how you wiped them all out. You talked about how you did. I just… never pictured you doing it. That's all."

"There's got to be another way." The Woman said shakily from where she stood, hugging River, staring at them tearfully. "There's got to be a way to save them, Doctor! I was truly horrible. I…" She paused to take a shaky breath. "I lived through it! Over and over, they die. It never ends!"

The Doctor looked at the Master, who regarded him stoically and had an unreadable look in his eyes as he hugged Clara.

"Doctor, please." River looked to be on the verge of tears. "I haven't been through it, but for what it's worth! Save them!"

_I will show them._

The group looked around as the shack began to fade away into darkness, the throes of war coming into view.

"What's happening?" Clara asked, clutching the Master tighter as the smoky terrain came into view, watching as a man ran past.

"Nothing." The War Doctor said. "It's a projection."

"The Fall of Arcadia." The Woman whispered.

Clara looked around in horror at the people running in fear, watching as a girl was separated from her mother. The lady called desperately, but to no avail. Flames and smoke rose around them, crowds of people running by them as if they weren't there, their fearful cries echoing through the projection.

She gazed at him fearfully, more tears slipping down her face. "These are the people you're going to burn?"

The Doctor looked at the charred, cracked ground, as if too ashamed to say it as explosion ripped through the city. More people ran past in terror.

"There is nothing we can do." Ten said, staring at the destruction.

The Woman let out a strangled cry as she recognized some of her friends, who now ran past in fear, not seeing her.

"There's always a better solution, Doctor." The Master muttered, staring at the death surrounding him. "For as long as I've known you, ally or enemy, you always found a better solution than…_ this_." He spat out the last word.

"What am I supposed to do Clara?" The Doctor asked, seemingly ignoring the Master's words as he turned to look at her. "It's either kill my own people or let the universe burn!"

She regarded him fearfully. His face, which now had an expression of despair, looked scary in the orange light of the flames surrounding them.

"Look at you." She said, her eyes flickering over them. "The three of you. The Warrior. The Hero. And you."

He stepped away from his incarnations, drawing near to her. "And what am I?"

She pulled away from the Master, regarding him sadly. "Have you really forgotten?"

"Maybe."

"We have enough warriors." She said, looking around at the torn landscape and the soldiers that ran over it. "And anyone can be a hero."

"Then what can I do?" He asked.

She sighed, smiling ever so slightly. "Do what you've always done. Be a Doctor. You told me that the name you chose was a promise. What was the promise?"

"Never cruel or cowardly…" Ten said sadly.

"Never give up. Never give in." The War Doctor rasped.

They looked around as the battle faded away, and the farmhouse returned. The Woman fell to the floor, overcome with the emotions of seeing the battle again. River knelt down and hugged her, slightly overwhelmed herself.

The Doctor gave his other selves a quizzical look, the corners of his lips beginning to turn up slightly.

Ten stared at him. "You're not actually suggesting that we change our own timeline!"

"No, I'm suggesting something far worse."

"And what is that?" The War Doctor asked.

"I've had four hundred years to think about it. I've changed my mind."

Clara began to smile, grabbing the Master's arm.

The Doctor took out his screwdriver and pointed it at the Moment, causing the pedestal to recede back into the box.

"What are you doing?" The Master cried.

"There's still a billion trillion Daleks up there!" The War Doctor stared at his future self as if he had gone mad.

"There is, but…" The Doctor looked at Ten, beginning to smile.

"There's something those billion, trillion Daleks don't know!" Ten said, pointing at his future self eagerly, beginning to grin as well.

"What?" Clara asked, stepping forward excitedly. "What don't they know?"

The Doctor looked at her. "This time, there's three of us."

"Oh!" The War Doctor cried. "Oh!" He grabbed his head, spinning around excitedly. "Oh, yes! That is brilliant!"

"Oh, yes!" Ten jumped around excitedly like a kid on Christmas. "I'm getting that too! That is brilliant!" He ran up to his TARDIS and slapped it good naturedly in his excitement.

"Here we go…" The Master muttered.

"I've had years to think about it." The Doctor said.

"She didn't just show me any old future! She showed me the future I needed to see!" The War Doctor exclaimed.

River and the Woman rose to their feet, staring at the Time Lords in confusion and wonder.

Now you're getting it.

He flung his arms wide. "Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you!"

Yeah, that's going to happen.

Ten looked at him in confusion. "Sorry. Did you say 'Bad Wolf'?"

"So what are we doing?" Clara asked, interrupting them.

"The whole planet is surrounded by Dalek fleets." The War Doctor said. They are firing on Gallifrey nonstop."

"Sky trenches hold them, but what if the whole planet disappeared?" Ten asked.

"How would that help?"

"The planet goes away, and the Daleks destroy themselves in their own crossfire." Ten explained, gesturing with his hands.

"Gallifrey would be gone. The Daleks would be destroyed, and to the rest of the universe it would look like they had annihilated each other!"

"But where would Gallifrey be?" Clara asked.

"Frozen." Ten grinned at her. "Frozen in time and hidden away."

"Exactly." The Doctor said.

The War Doctor leaned forward. "Like a painting."

* * *

"Where are we going?" River asked as they tore into the TARDIS.

Annie looked up from where she was making use of some crayons and some paper, and slid off the bench to greet them. "You're back!"

The Doctor spun up to the console. "Well, my past selves are off to initiate the freeze, but my memories say that it's not our time yet. We join in the action some time later. So, for now, I'm taking you home so you can finally get on with your wedding plans without interruption." He flipped the switch, wearing the biggest smile that they had seen in a long time. "But one thing is for certain. Gallifrey stands!"

The Woman and River both embraced the Doctor happily. Tears were streaming down his mother's face, but this time, it was tears of happiness.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you for saving them…"

"It only took me four hundred years." He chuckled.

The day at the Panopticon had forever been burned into her memory. It seemed too cruel, when, for one moment, they were free from the nightmare of the Time War, just to be thrown back into it without a chance. Only until the Doctor had come was when she was finally free, but her friends and family had still suffered in the war. Now, they did so no more.

The Master even smiled ever so slightly, pecking Clara's forehead as she threw her arms around his neck happily.

Annie tugged on the Doctor's pant leg. "Why are you so happy?"

He knelt down to her level, still smiling. "Let's just say that I finally fixed a very big mistake that I once made."

She hugged him. "Yay!"

The Doctor picked her up, looking at Clara and the Master. "Now, you two have a wedding to plan."

* * *

**Now, the real wedding drama can begin. :P**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm going out of town tomorrow until Sunday, so this might be the last chapter for a while. Sorry! I will try and get another one done before I go. And then, the Wednesday after next, school starts. :P **

* * *

The Doctor did not bother to look up as the TARDIS door opened.

It was a day later, and he was still working on the "machine that goes ding". He was bent over the pile of circuits and metal, picking at them with some strange instruments.

"Hello, sweetie."

"Hello, River." He said absentmindedly.

"Have you still not assembled that thing yet?"

"No." He moved a wire, looking at the blue and red circuits that poked forth from the rubber covering, trying to figure out where they connected. "My past self likes to pretend he knows everything about building machines that go ding, but really, he doesn't know a thing about assembling space-time anomaly detectors. He was never good at building."

River stepped forward, eyeing the pile of disarrayed metals. "Is 'the machine that goes ding' the best name you could come up with?"

He looked up at her, blinking his green eyes at her through the goggles that magnified said facial feature ten times their normal size. "Yes, unless you want me to call it the 'Alomaly-inator'…" He went back to his work. "Never mind. That's a rubbish name."

She chuckled at his odd appearance with the goggles and disheveled hair. "I never got to say goodbye to your past selves."

"You see them again. My memories say so."

"You always acted as if you were jealous of them. Especially your tenth self."

He frowned at his wife. "I was not jealous!"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Really?"

He stood up, puffing out his chest. "Okay, maybe I was a little jealous. I don't like my past selves impeding on my wife, okay?"

She walked forward, laying a hand on his chest, feeling his double heartbeat vibrate beneath her fingertips. To her, there was not a more calming sensation. She looked up into his eyes, smiling. "Don't worry about it. You'll always be my Doctor."

He kissed her forehead gently. "Glad to hear it." He turned back to his machine. "Want to help me try and figure this out?"

"Sure." She looked down at the pile. "Though I'll tell you now, I'm an archeologist, not a technician of any sort."

"Well you can hand me tools. Simple enough?"

"Sure…"

* * *

"Wrench."

"This thing?" River picked up a bizarre looking item that looked nothing like a wrench.

"Yes." He took it from her and levered away at some bolt, causing another electrical short and more sparks to fly.

Not much had been accomplished in the last hour. As best River could tell, he had done some things with the circuits and placed two pieces of metal and a light bulb together. That was all she could tell amidst the many parts that lay before them.

He handed the wrench thing back to her. "Screwdriver."

She looked back at the row of strange tools that lay on the bench behind her. "Your sonic?"

"Yes." He gave a look as if she was being thick. "Believe it or not, my sonic screwdriver also functions as a screwdriver!"

With a sigh, she handed him the instrument.

His appearance had become even more raggedy over the past hour. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, but were still smeared with ash and oil, as was the rest of his body. His shirt had multiple burn holes from the sparks that frequently shot from the wires. His hair was a catastrophe, covered in ash and oil and matted together in a big brown sticky mess that clung to his forehead with the sweat on his brow that came from the heat of the machinery.

River remained immaculate, as always. Every time he got ready to have a go at the mess with a tool, she stepped a good bit away, preferring not to get burned or splattered.

They both jumped slightly as the TARDIS door opened with a loud bang, and the Master walked in.

"Oh!" The Doctor yelled in frustration, holding a wire with his tweezers and shaking his screwdriver. "I was just about to connect a wire to this screw! It's a very painstaking process that must be perfect!" He glared at the Master. "Nice timing!"

He grinned at him. "As always." He threw his jacket over the railing. "Well Doctor, apparently you're going to have to be my best man, as much as I detest that."

The Time Lord in question turned around, peeling the goggles of his face to stare at the Master clearly. "What?"

"Yeah. Clara said I had to tell you that you were going to do that."

He grinned the blond. "I would be more than happy to do that for you."

The Master turned to face them. "She says a rehearsal starts soon and that you two have to come."

"I'll get right on it!" River ran down the stairs and out of the TARDIS.

"Tell her I'm busy." The Doctor said, turning back to the pile of parts that he was focusing on. "I have to build this thing to catch the Zygons. I look like a mess anyway."

"Fine, but if she forces you to come, it's not my fault."

* * *

Apparently, Clara had consented with him because after the Master left, he did not see sight or sound of anyone else.

Now, he stood alone in his TARDIS, fiddling around with the machine. It's not that he wouldn't mind being at the rehearsal, but he thought the Zygons invading earth were a larger priority at the moment. Why did you need to practice a wedding anyway? He never practiced. Apparently, Clara felt safe with planning a wedding with aliens anywhere around her when he was on the job.

He crouched low, painstakingly moving a wire towards a screw ever so slowly. This was the moment! Contact was made, and it sparked again, but the contraption started up, the gears whirring and the lights flickering, small screen wired to the thing flashing on. It was still just a big pile of wires and metal and lights mostly, as he had not put together the outer shell of the machine yet, or worked out all the kinks.

"Yes!" He spun in a joyous circle, clapping his hands, excited that he had finally made some progress. He paused, looking down at the thing. "What's this?"

He leaned close to the screen, reading what the red letters said.

ZYGON MOLECULES DETECTED

"What…?" He looked around the TARDIS, looking for something out of place, but nothing appeared to be different, aside from the Master's coat that he had left hanging on the rail from when he had been there earlier.

Just out of curiosity, he walked over to the coat and grabbed it up, holding it out towards the machine.

_Ding._

He blinked. The machine had gone ding! He walked toward the machine, holding the jacket in his outstretched hand. As he drew near, the dings grew more frequent, signaling alert.

He looked at the screen again and it read:

_ZYGON ENCOUNTER IMMINENT_

He looked from the machine to the coat, a feeling of dread building in the pit of his stomach. At that moment, the machine died, powering down as it still wasn't finished. He stared at the coat for a minute, putting the pieces together in his head. Then, without bothering to take off the goggles that still dangled around his neck, he tore out the door.


	18. Chapter 18

"…okay, now you would go over there…" Clara was directing.

The group of people stood in the church, going through the motions of the wedding as they practiced for the day after tomorrow. Those present included Angie and Artie Maitland (their father was away on business this week), and the Paternoster Gang. Vastra and Jenny sat quietly and respectfully, watching the proceedings patiently, while Strax slumped grumpily in his seat, acting like he didn't want to be there in the slightest.

Angie had made a comment about the Master, questioning what had happened to the Doctor being her boyfriend, to which she received a withering glare from the apparently "new" boyfriend, who had now established that he didn't like these children at all.

The Master had sat through the boring proceedings, and was now hoping it would be over soon so that maybe he would have an excuse to just kiss her.

Everyone present jumped as the doors slammed open, and someone yelled: "Stop!"

The Doctor ran in, panting and sweaty, having run the entire way. He had forgotten to just take his TARDIS in his moment of panic.

"There's her old boyfriend." Angie smirked. The Master shot her a glare.

"Doctor!" Clara smiled cheerily at him. "You decided to come after all! I trust you finished your machine, finally?"

"I…" He paused, attempting to regain his breath before speaking. He looked like an absolute mess, with his burnt clothes and ash-smeared face, the greasy goggles still hanging about his neck. "I… Did fix the machine… And it worked!" He held up the jacket that belonged to the Master. "This tested positive for Zygon molecules! You…" He pointed at the Master. "…are a Zygon!"

"Oh no." The Woman murmured, covering her eyes in despair.

"What's a Zygon?" Artie asked innocently.

"There are Zygons in London?" Vastra asked, looking from the Doctor to the others in confusion. "We never knew of this!"

"I was hoping to keep it that way." River sighed. "It's not a huge deal."

"Is that the entire reason you ran down here?" Clara eyed him in dismay.

"Yes! Er… no."

"I am not a Zygon!" The Master hissed.

He shook the jacket at him. "Then why did the machine tell me that this jacket was covered in Zygon molecules?"

"We were fighting Zygons the other day!"

"And what about the flash I saw the other day?" He looked at Clara, who now wore an expression of steadily-growing annoyance. "I saw him change into a Zygon, just for a moment!"

"Why do you trust some broken machine?"

"It's not broken! I fixed it!" He walked up to the Master, bringing his face close to his. "I know you're not really who you say you are. Somewhere out there is the real Master, and you are most certainly not him."

"Doctor!" Clara shouted.

He turned to face her, an intense look burning in his eyes. "This is not the Master, Clara! This is a Zygon duplicate, I'm sure of it!" He stabbed an accusatory finger in his direction. "You cannot marry him!"

She stared at him in utter outrage and shock, refusing to believe her friends' convoluted words about her fiancée. "How dare you say that! Why are you so opposed to us marrying? You said that you were okay with it a long time ago!"

"I never was completely okay with it!" He yelled in a sudden outburst. "I never was completely sure about him and you, and I always had a little bit of doubt, but now I'm sure you shouldn't marry, because that is most certainly not the Master!"

Clara looked like she was getting ready to cry. "Well, if you don't want us to get married, then maybe you just shouldn't come to the wedding at all!"

He turned to look at her, a shocked expression briefly passing over his face before turning into a mask of cold anger. "Fine. See if I care." With that, he spun on his heel and marched out of the church, missing the malevolent expression that passed briefly over the Master's face.

* * *

Clara was a mess.

She had lain in her bedroom for literally hours on end, crying her eyes out. She knew that she really shouldn't care about what the Doctor thought about her marriage, but it still broke her heart to know that he harbored so much doubt against the man she loved.

A knock on the door interrupted her flow of tears.

"Can we come in?" River's voice came from the other side of the door.

"No." She sniffed, throwing the covers over her tangled hair.

"Well, we're coming in anyway, whether you want us to or not." The lock clicked as if a sonic device had opened it, and two people entered.

"Clara…" River's wheedling voice called. "Come on now. Get out from under there."

"No." was the muffled reply.

The covers were peeled back anyway. "Sit up."

She raised herself up on one arm, brushing the loose, wet strands away from her tear-stained face, blinking in the sudden light that greeted her. "What do you want?"

The Woman and River stood next to her bed. "We've come to talk."

"I don't want to." Clara said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Too bad." River plopped herself down on her left, and the Woman on the right.

"My son… isn't too good at saying things." The Woman started. "He may think that Koschei is a Zygon, and he might be right for all I know, but we must give Koschei the benefit of the doubt. He looked pretty shaken up by the ordeal as well.

Clara managed a bitter chuckle. "Got that right."

"And, he could've told us in some other way. Bursting into the middle of your wedding rehearsal was not at all the right way to do that. He was wrong with that." River said.

Clara sighed. "He just gets excited."

The blond shook her head. "He does. Far too often, I might add."

"He was doubting all the time?" Clara sniffed, fresh tears springing to her eyes at the thoughts. "He didn't want us to be together the entire time?"

"It's not that." The Woman said. "He just had a little doubt about Koschei, considering his past actions. He was afraid that he wouldn't treat you right, that's all, but this whole Zygon business has either turned him really paranoid, or…" She trailed off.

"It's just him worrying like usual." River said. "I bet he didn't mean all those things he said."

"I hope not." Clara said. "I still don't think I can bring myself to talk to him though. All those things he said about the Master and I really hurt me."

The Woman shook her head. "He's been in the TARDIS for a long time."

* * *

The Doctor stared down at the console. He was mad. Mad at himself, and the Zygons. He had argued with his TARDIS for hours on end with no outcome. She, being the female, had taken Clara's side instantly, and had fussed at him frostily.

He shook his head, slamming his fist on the console in a burst of anger. He wasn't sure who to trust! The Master could be a Zygon, or not. He could be wrong about the entire thing and look like an idiot to everybody. Anyone could be a Zygon for all he knew. It was all too dangerous! He had to get that machine up and fully functioning soon, before something really bad happened.

The door creaked open behind him. Without turning around, he could tell it was the Master. He waited until his footsteps grew closer to speak.

"I'm sorry."

He turned to face his fellow Time Lord, hoping to apologize for his actions.

"You will be!" The Master snarled, his face flickering to briefly to the red flesh of the Zygons, yellowed fangs bared in an evil hiss. The Doctor started to cry for help, but a slimy hand closed around his throat, cutting odd his air. He flailed desperately, trying to find something to prevent this assault, but to no avail.

The last thing he saw before fading into blackness was the Zygon hybrid that was the Master grinning down at him.


	19. Chapter 19

The Doctor awoke slowly, his double heartbeat pounding in his ears. He attempted to move an arm to feel his head, but found his arms and the rest of his body constricted and stuck against a hard metal surface.

"Well," a voice rang out. "You finally joined us!"

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a metal prison, bound to the wall in a Zygon nest with Osgood, who was next to him, Kate, McGillop, and the Master. He stared at the blond Time Lord in shock. "Are you real?"

"No." He said sarcastically, glaring at him. "I'm the duplicate in the Zygon nest!"

The Doctor stared at him, the remark flying straight over his confused head. "There's a Zygon out there!"

"No kidding."

"Doctor, what happened?" Kate said, eyeing him seriously, trying to make sense of the situation.

He looked around. "I don't know. I upset Clara and-"

"You upset Clara?" The Master broke in. "What did you do?"

"Well, I was trying to tell them that the fake you was a Zygon, and I kind of burst in on the wedding rehearsal, and said some things that I deeply regret saying…"

"When's the wedding?"

He blinked. "Tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?" The Master strained at his bonds violently, glaring darkly at the Doctor. "Doctor, this is going to be the one time I ask you for help. Get us out of here!"

Kate was mildly startled. In the days that she had spent in this cell with this mad man known as the Master, he had never had such a dangerous glint in his eye. Whoever this girl was, he must really care about her.

"Maybe…" The Doctor looked around, searching for possibilities. "Have you tried everything you know of to get out of the nests?"

"Everything.' McGillop confirmed. "There's no way out."

"Can you get us out of here?" Osgood whimpered to his right. "This place scares me."

He looked over at her, giving her his most charming smile. "I will get us out of here. Don't worry about it." He looked down, and saw the tip of his sonic screwdriver poking up through the mess of pink substance. He pressed his chin against his chest, straining downward with his mouth open.

"What are you doing?" The Master growled.

"Trying to reach my sonic." He said, his voice coming out funny as he strained for the tip of the tool. "If I can reach it, I can reverse the molecules and set myself free."

"And us!" He reminded him, banging his head against the metal wall.

"Have faith in me!" He closed his teeth around the end.

"I am hesitant to."

He tugged on the screwdriver, jerking his head upward slightly. It was somewhat stuck amidst the bonds of the Zygon next. He jerked again, this time harder, his neck starting to hurt from being in such a cramped position for so long. This time, the tool flew out of the pink stuff, causing his head to jerk back violently and bang painfully against the metal surface he was bound to, nearly losing his grip on the screwdriver.

"Stupid." The Master hissed.

"I got it, I got it." He mumbled around it, attempting to press the button with his teeth. He was successful, and the familiar buzzing went off, accompanied by the green light.

Suddenly, the bonds fell away, and the Doctor fell to the floor with a resounding thud, his sonic skittering across the metal surface.

"Ha ha!" He cried, brushing strands of the Zygon nest from himself as he lay there. "That was far easier than I thought it would be!"

"Well don't just lay there!" The Master hissed. "Get us out!"

"Of course!" He grabbed his sonic and jumped to his feet, looking absolutely ridiculous with his burnt clothes and greasy hair, and of course, the goggles. He pointed his sonic at the Master's nest, and activated it.

The Master tried to stay on his feet as he was released, but failed miserably. His legs wobbled and gave way. He fell to the floor, his head spinning. He was weak from lack of food and water, and also from his numerous escape attempts, all of which had failed. He stared at the gray floor, panting heavily, his body adjusting to no longer being confined in one position.

"You all right?" The Doctor asked as he began to free the others.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He mumbled as he stood to his feet, clutching his blond hair. He stretched his stiff muscles, which were sore for being in one position for so long.

Once everyone was free, the Doctor addressed them. "Now, I can teleport all of you out of here using the teleportation device on my sonic-"

"Wait." The Master interrupted, remembering something.

The Doctor looked at him. "What?"

"You take them and get out. There's someone else in here that I have to free."

The Doctor gestured at the iron bars that lined the one side of their cell, which showed no indication of a door. "How are you going to get past these?"

"Easy." He walked up to the bars. "Like this!" Without thinking, he fired a blast of electricity at them. The bars blew apart, sending pieces of shrapnel and iron flying in every direction with a loud clattering that echoed around the corridors.

"Well, that's one way." Kate commented.

"Shh!" The Doctor hissed. "Do you want to get caught?"

"No, but do you have a better idea?"

"…No…"

"That's what I thought." He stepped through the hole he had blown, looking back at them. "Take them and go. I'll be fine till you get back. And, at all costs, stop the wedding." With those parting words, he vanished down the corridor.

* * *

Clara looked up from her spot on the couch as the TARDIS door opened. She had hoped that she would see the Doctor, but it was only the Master.

"The Doctor will not be attending the wedding." He said.

"Oh…" She sighed, trying not to sound too disappointed. She had hoped that the Doctor would forgive her for what she had said, but apparently this was not so. She supposed it was for the best. He did say that he didn't want them to get married.

"Oh, come now." He took a seat next to her, draping an arm about her shoulders. "It's his fault. This whole Zygon business has just got him so paranoid. Besides, he was getting in the way."

"I guess you're right." She sighed, remembering all the times he had barged in on her plans. "But he never meant any harm."

"You think so?"

"I know so." She snuggled closer to his shoulder. "It just won't be the same wedding without him."

* * *

The Master ran down the corridor, seeing another cell up ahead. Upon reaching it, he peered into the dark interior.

The sight made him seethe with anger.

The girl that they had met in the park hung trapped in a Zygon nest, her head hanging, obviously unconscious. The only way he could see that she was alive was the faint rise and fall of her chest, which was not considerable.

He gritted his teeth. She had been in there for days on end with no food or water. A five year-old wouldn't be able to stand such treatment!

Trying to be more discreet than last time (it was a wonder that no Zygons has come looking for him), he tugged on the bars hard, and they bent with the force he put into it. He stepped inside the cell and approached the girl.

Her blond hair was in bad condition, as was her flowery dress, which was visible somewhat through the pink substance. Her dress was tattered and her knees were bruised, as if she had been running from something, most likely the Zygons.

He tugged at the nest, and it fell away quite easily after a few moments of pulling. Apparently, she had been unable to escape the nest, even when the bonds were this loose.

He gathered her small body up in his arms, holding her close to his chest.

Her eyes flickered open at this movement, and her voice called out weakly. "Wha…"

"Shh." He silenced her. "You're safe now. I've got you."

She smiled dazedly at him. "You're that funny man from the park." With that, she drifted back into unconsciousness.

The Master looked at her for a moment before stepping out into the corridor. Now that he finally had the girl, he could get out of here.


End file.
